Police thwart ‘mass shooting plot’ at music festival in Washington state

Police says ‘combination of situational awareness along with noticing ‘something does not fit’ resulted in possible tragedy being prevented’

Law enforcement officials in Washington state claim to have foiled a suspect mass shooting plot at a concert attended by 25,000 people.

The Grant County Sheriff’s Office said that they detained a man they think was intending to shoot visitors to the Gorge Amphitheater in the community of George on Friday night.

The sheriff’s office was made aware of a suspect in a parking lot by witnesses and concert security staff at around 9pm on 19 August.

Police said that witnesses grew wary after they spotted the man using a balloon to inhale an unknown gas or substance and then taking two 9mm handguns from his car and loading them.

The suspect then put one of the pistols in his waistband and the other in a holster, officials said, according to KATU.

The man then walked up to those going to the concert and asked when the event would end and where people would be exiting the venue.

The man was identified as Jonathan R Moody, 31, from Ephrata, Washington. He was stopped by security before he was able to enter the venue and his firearms were removed. He was detained by security staff until the arrival of deputies.

Mr Moody was arrested on one count of possession of a dangerous weapon and one count of unlawful carrying or handling of a weapon. He was detained and placed at the Grant County Jail.

The sold-out show on Friday was part of Bass Canyon, an electric dance music festival.

Mr Moody didn’t speak to the police, according to KATU.

The Sheriff’s office said in a statement that “citizens saw something completely out of place for the circumstances and notified security, who in turn notified deputies. That combination of situational awareness along with noticing ‘something does not fit’ resulted in a possible tragedy being prevented”.

“Last night, a pistol-carrying local man was arrested, after reportedly being seen outside the venue at the Day Parking lot. He did not have a festival wristband, and was not attempting to enter the festival,” the Bass Canyon organisers tweeted on Saturday. “Safety is our top priority. Thank you to the fans who reported him, and the venue security and sheriff’s department for handling the situation.”

Concertgoer Taylor Paschal told ABC News that she no longer feels safe at the venue.

“This is the only place where people can go and really feel accepted,” she said.