Florida Man Arrested For Threatening Mass Attacks Had Arsenal, Police Laptop, Military And Law Enforcement Uniforms

A Florida man who was allegedly “set up for war” is facing charges including threatening a mass shooting and impersonating law enforcement in what Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw described as a “tremendous case.”

The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office was initially notified by an FBI Guardian Tip that 22-year-old Loxahatchee man Damien Allen was planning an attack. 

“The investigators that worked this case, there’s no doubt in my mind they have stopped a mass shooting that was going to happen,” Bradshaw said at a joint press conference with the FBI on Wednesday. “This guy was ready to go, had all the equipment, had the propensity to do it. It was just a matter of what day was going to set him off to go do it.”

Investigators say that as far back as Oct. 8, 2022, Allen posted a video on Instagram that showed him inside a Ford Crown Victoria, which is commonly used by law enforcement, alongside what appeared to be a Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office laptop. The video also allegedly showed a rifle in the rifle rack behind the seat.

Allen also allegedly regularly communicated online with 15-year-old Natalie Rupnow, who died after carrying out a mass shooting at a school in Madison, Wis., on Dec. 17, 2024. The pair allegedly talked about weapons, ammunition, bulletproof vests, smoke grenades, and other things, and remained in communication through at least September 2024.

“My loadout is set up for war,” Allen allegedly said on May 23, 2024. “I got 7 places I would, Strike the police dept. also, Gorilla warfare tactics, Ambushing and blitz.”

In June 2024, Allen allegedly told Rupnow, “We go down together.” She allegedly replied, “Correct,” and “I love you.”

Investigators initially feared Allen was actually a PBSO deputy based on the fact that he had a complete uniform, but he was not. Videos allegedly also showed Allen wearing a PBSO badge and the same gun belt and Taser that deputies use. How Allen obtained apparently legitimate gear remains under investigation.

PBSO Capt. Randy Foley said Wednesday that investigators believe Allen did not just want to commit mass violence in Palm Beach County or even Florida, but at targets across the country, including churches, a police department, and other “racially motivated” targets.

“His main desire was to harm law enforcement and attack a law enforcement facility,” Foley said. “It appears that he has a philosophy of violence against civilians and law enforcement equally, but specifically spoke about law enforcement organizations to strike.”

A search warrant executed Tuesday at Allen’s residence, where he lived with family, turned up 18 firearms, a Taser, more than 12,000 rounds of ammunition, ballistic vest and helmets, a two-way radio, a law enforcement-issued laptop, various law enforcement and military uniforms, law enforcement credentials, active-duty Army credentials, FBI credentials, PBSO badges, a 3D-printed body camera, and material with Nazi insignia.

“This is a dangerous, dangerous individual,” Bradshaw said. “This is one of the best arrests that I’ve seen in a long time that has prevented people from dying.”