Miami police arrested a 42-year-old man after detectives say he used Instagram to threaten to kill “as many people as possible” before taking his own life, with emergency responders, downtown landmarks and high-profile celebrities all allegedly in the crosshairs. The arrest report identifies the suspect as Marc Harold Leverant. A judge later found probable cause in the case and set his bond at $7,500.
Police Traced the Posts to a Downtown Apartment
According to investigators, the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office Real Time Crime Operation Center flagged the alarming posts on Wednesday morning and alerted City of Miami Police. The threats were traced to an Instagram account using the handle “mlablive.” Detectives followed the digital trail to an apartment near Biscayne Boulevard, where officers soon located Leverant near his home and brought him to Miami Police headquarters for questioning.
After officers read Leverant his Miranda rights, detectives interviewed him about the alleged threats, according to WSVN. The arrest report states the social media posts referenced killing large numbers of people, targeting first responders and well-known spots around downtown Miami.
What the Law Says
Florida Statute 836.10 makes it a felony to write or post a threat to kill, injure, or carry out a mass shooting, according to the Florida Senate. The law explicitly covers electronic communications and social media posts that others can see, not just handwritten notes or in-person remarks.
If prosecutors pursue the case as a second-degree felony and secure a conviction, it could bring up to 15 years in prison, along with potential fines, under state sentencing rules set out by the Florida Senate.
Part of a Wider Pattern
Law enforcement agencies at both the local and federal level have been cracking down harder on violent online rhetoric, treating social media threats as criminal acts instead of empty talk. Earlier this month, CBS Miami reported on a federal case out of Miami Beach involving alleged online threats against public officials…