Seven men have been arrested for allegedly making threats toward police officers since the assassination of two NYPD officers in their patrol car in Brooklyn earlier this month, New York City police said. At least 40 recent threats against police officers are reportedly under investigation, ABC News reported.
While hundreds of online postings and calls to 911 have been monitored by authorities, the public has continuously been asked to report any suspicious activity, police said in a statement on Wednesday.
"All threats against members of the NYPD are taken seriously and are investigated immediately to determine the credibility and origin of the information," the statement read.
On Wednesday, 38-year-old Elvin Payamps, a Queens resident, was overheard by witnesses discussing killing police officers during a cell phone conversation inside a TD Bank in Queens Village.
Although Payamps had left the bank by the time police arrived at the scene, he was arrested shortly after being spotted at the Metro Mall, New York Daily News reported. Apart from finding a bag of marijuana in his car, investigators recovered several weapons, including a pistol, a defaced shotgun and brass knuckles, as well as a bulletproof vest in his home.
In another incident on Wednesday, 26-year-old Jose Maldonado was arrested after posting a message on Facebook that read, "Might just go out and kill two cops myself!!!" along with some pictures of weapons, the NYPD spokeswoman confirmed.
However later on in court, the Brooklyn native claimed that the terroristic threat had been made while he was drunk, according to RT.
On Tuesday, two precincts in Queens received bomb threats. Earlier in the week, a confidential informant made threats against the 79th and 81st precincts in Brooklyn, claiming that a Baltimore street gang was planning a shootout with the police, according to the Sergeants Benevolent Association.
In another instance, a 41-year-old was arrested on charges of aggravated harassment and making terroristic threats after he allegedly called into the 84th precinct -- where Wenjian Lin and Rafael Ramos had been stationed -- and, requesting to speak to Ramos, asked whether the bullets had been removed from the dead officer's head so "he could kill more cops," police spokeswoman Sophia Mason confirmed.
Additionally, two teenagers were also arrested for making Facebook posts that alluded to killing police officers this week, International Business Times reported.
"Our city will not be intimidated by those spouting hateful, violent messages," New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a statement. "We will protect the men and women who protect us."
Of the seven arrests, three stemmed from postings made on social media and two came on misdemeanor charges of false report incidents, according to police. One arrest was made after the suspect phoned in a direct threat to 911.
Meanwhile, De Blasio also tweeted his appreciation for those helping to protect NYPD on Thursday.
