Louisville Purge Hoax Suspect Found

Police say they have identified the suspect who started a terrifying threat calling for a crime ‘purge’ that has spread fear within the residents of Louisville, Kentucky on Aug. 15. 

Police in Kentucky went on high alert Friday after getting wind of rumors that some residents were planning an evening of violent crime based on the Purge films.

In the films, mobs hunt and kill people during a fictitious 12-hour period where crime is legal.

Events in the 2013 film The Purge were fiction but police say a teenager spread the “Louisville Purge” threat around social media on Aug. 15 and it’s gone viral.

The potential threat that makes all crime legal for 12 hours spread to Detroit and has One Direction fans worried, since the band’s concert was to take place there Today, Aug. 16.

Louisville Purge: Social Media Threat Started By Teenager

In the movie The Purge, all crime becomes legal for a 12-hour period without punishment. So when the “Louisville Purge” went viral on social media, Louisville police were worried about the very serious matter. 

Louisville officials took extra precautions to ensure safety of its residents.

Police said they “take any threat that would incite violence on our community seriously,” Louisville police spokesman Sgt. Phil Russell told The Courier-Journal.

The police also say they are now investigating a teenager who has been accused of starting the threat, WKYT reports.

The “Louisville Purge” was supposed to take place from 8 p.m. on Aug. 15 to 6:30 a.m. on Aug. 16, according the newspaper. However, police are still on the lookout for anyone wanting to enact violence on the Lousiville community. 

Police said there was no serious violent acts that happened during the scheduled threat, but they increased patrols in the city’s downtown area after violence in March, according to WLWT .

A scheduled football scrimmage between two Louisville high schools was canceled on Aug. 15, The Courier-Journal said.