FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — The Fulton County sheriff said Friday his office arrested an 18-year-old after the teen "threatened to kill" the sheriff and his wife, as well as other local law enforcement officials, on social media.
The threats were evidently made over the arrests and jailings of alleged members of the Young Slime Street gang. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has brought a sweeping RICO indictment against the gang, charging figures that include rappers Young Thug and Gunna.
According to Fulton County Sheriff Patrick Labat, the teen "wrote several death threats on official Instagram accounts, stating his intentions to kill Sheriff Labat, and his wife, unless a high-profile defendant in the RICO investigation was released from custody."
The 18-year-old faces 23 counts of terroristic threats, all felonies, and he is in Fulton County Jail after being denied bond according to the sheriff.
The sheriff did not share the exact language of the posts, and any death threats posted to the Fulton sheriff Instagram page appear to have been deleted.
“We take these kinds of brazen threats seriously,” Sheriff Labat said in a statement. “Social media cyberbullying, and hiding behind a keyboard, will not protect someone from criminal prosecution. Our investigators are diligent in seeking individuals who mean to do harm to anybody, and I am grateful to them for ensuring the safety of myself, my wife, and all citizens of Fulton County.”
Young Thug is the highest-profile figure in the indictment. Prosecutors have alleged he is effectively the gang's figurehead, saying in a bond hearing Thursday that he is "the top dog, he's the most dangerous man here... he is the one they're all afraid of, he's the one that's King Slime."
The rapper's attorneys have argued there is no foundation for these accusations, saying he's being punished on the basis of rap lyrics and social media posts and little to no evidence of any criminal acts. They have emphasized his influence to the community and to art as a "contributing citizen of the world," as one person testifying on his behalf at the bond hearing on Thursday put it.
The rapper was denied bond and, unless the court reevaluates its decision at some point, he will remain in the Fulton County Jail through his trial. Currently that is scheduled for about six months from now in January 2023.