SUISUN CITY, CA -- A Suisun City teenager who was arrested after allegedly making comments on Facebook indicating that he supported Friday's mass shooting at a Connecticut elementary school posted bail Monday and was released from Solano County Jail, a jail spokeswoman said.
Fairfield police arrested Sergio Santiago Cabada, 18, around 3:30 p.m. Monday on suspicion of making terrorist threats. He was booked into jail around 6:30 p.m. that day and was being held on $15,000 bail.
Cabada's father was home when police went to the family's residence, Fairfield police Sgt. Kevin Carella said.
"His dad was mortified his son had made the comments and that police were at his home," Carella said.
Cabada's father was aware of the comments on his son's Facebook page and had talked to him about them before police arrived, Carella said.
Police said Cabada had posted comments stating that he supported the actions of the shooter, 20-year-old Adam Lanza, at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., and had thought about the possibility of committing similar acts.
The massacre claimed the lives of 20 children and six adults at the school.
Police confiscated four hunting rifles and some ammunition from Cabada's residence for safekeeping, Carella said.
On Saturday, Cabada posted an apology on his Facebook page.
"I apologize for what I said, at the time I was not aware of the huge implications of what I said and I was merely curious and slightly experimental in my terms," Cabada said.
"I am particularly sorry if I offended anybody personally. I did not say this with evil intentions, I was merely being a stupid 18-year-old being edgy and cocky on a social networking website," Cabada wrote.
Cabada said in the post that after he later thought "deep and hard about the tragic loss of those children from many different perspectives," he understood "the impact of such an emotional event."
In response, Carella said today, "You can't do certain things and take them back."
Cabada has no prior contacts with police, Carella said.
Carella said Fairfield police on Monday sent their report to the Solano County District Attorney's Office, which will decide whether or not to charge Cabada.
ORIGINAL STORY (Dec. 17): An 18-year-old local man allegedly posted comments on the Internet saying he supported the actions of the Newtown, CT, school shooter and had thought about committing a similar crime, authorities say.
The incident was reported to the Fairfield Police Department around 9 a.m., and by 3:30 p.m. police served a search warrant at the Suisun City home of Sergio Cabada.
Cabada was arrested and booked on felony charges of criminal threats.
A full press release from the Fairfield Police Department follows:
Local Resident Arrested for Posting Threats to Duplicate Shooting Tragedy
On December 17, 2012 at approximately 9:00 am information was provided to the Fairfield Police Department indicating that Sergio Cabada (age 18 years) had been posting comments on the internet indicating that he both supported the actions of the school shooter in Connecticut and had thought of possibly committing similar acts. The Fairfield Police Investigations Bureau immediately opened an investigation into the incident for the purpose of both investigating the possible criminal act and taking affirmative steps to prevent any violence in our community.
On the same date at approximately 3:30 pm detectives from the Fairfield Police Department Investigations Bureau served a search warrant at the home of the suspect in the City of Suisun. Cabada was at home at the time of the search warrant service and was arrested without incident. Several items were seized from the residence in an effort to both complete the criminal investigation and to prevent any future acts of violence by Cabada.
The Fairfield Police Department takes very seriously any potential indicators of violence such as those demonstrated by Cabada. The quick response of the department is a reflection of our dedication to the safety of our community and the strong desire to prevent any possible acts of violence on the scale suggested by Cabada’s postings. Cabada was subsequently booked into Solano County Jail on felony charges of criminal threats.
Really? Tell that to former US Marine Jon Hammar who has been held in a Mexican prison since August for bringing an antique shotgun into the country after our own border agents told him it would be fine.
I have to agree with Sam Yee. The thought police are alive and well. When did it become illegal to have thoughts or support a particular action? While I despise his thoughts and his support for the actions of the CT shooter, I fully support his right to free speech and thought. From what I read, he did not threaten anyone only voice an opinon and his own random thoughts. It believe it should require an action on his part for there to be a legal response from the authorities. While I know the authorities will and have gone past the limit of their authorized power, he will suffer severely for his leanings. Beware the giving away, or should I say complete abandonment of your rights in the name of safety because your thoughts and leanings may next be judged as offensive or dispicable to the point where the thought police and public opinion conspire to silence you too.
Scary part is he will likely be back in the community..where we live
btw, who is the stupid Solano judge who let him out on $15K bail??? thats what i'd like to know. why did the judge set any bail at all? there should have been no bail. whats to stop him from going and finding guns now?
He did not violate any laws though. Section 422 of the California Penal Code specifies the ELEMENTS OF THE CRIME- which must be fulfilled in order to arrest a person for violating that crime. 422 PC statute states that the threat must be so specific ..."as to convey to the person threatened, a gravity of purpose and immediate prospect of execution of the threat, and thereby causes that person (victim/s) REASONABLY to be in sustained fear for his or her own safety or his or her immediate family's safety, shall be punished by imprisonment...." Cabada , from what I've read, did NOT FULLFILL THE ELEMENTS of the statute to make his stupid behavior a crime. Furthermore, we do not have room in our jails for stupid 18 yr olds who abuse their 1st Amendment rights.
The police did threaten him with deadly force when arresting him. The police did threaten other people in the home at gun point when they affected that arrest. Pointing a firearm at someone in a crime. Under PC sect. 417, just brandishing, or, showing a weapon is a crime. It is also listed under section 245.(a) of the Ca. Penal Code (Asslt W/ Deadly Wpn.) What judge signed the arrest warrant for Cabada? Do you all know that several people were taken down at gun-point at the Cabada residence? Did you know that the police pointed AR-15’s…”Bushmaster Rifles” at other residents in that neighborhood while affecting that arrest???? WHY? Because of what legal reason??? …an 18yr old acting like an 18yr old?? Law Enforcement Officials must behave in a rational manner during times of crisis. Not like hysterical bloggers or 18yr old idiots. Which Cabada is! Calm down…please. The reason active shooters do this is because of how we react when they do it.
County mental health care? Please, tell me the website/phone number/address. Sitting in Highland emergency room for eight hour waiting for mental care on a sunday night is no fun. I've done it. Give me a phone number and an address if you have free mental health care to cite. Because if you don't have insurance and cannot advocate for yourself 24/7, is difficult to obtain it.
Please cite address phone number and hours for the mental health services. The thing is, 100 bucks will buy you a gun illegally in east oakland without too much hassle. Legal purchase is a few more hoops but not really too much. Compare that to trying to obtain mental health care services when you have no insurance. Yeah, sad to say, but I'll stand by the assertion, concerned cop.