Possible arrest after unknown substance planted with political signs in Ahwatukee – Fox 5 Las Vegas

PHOENIX (AZ Family) — A man has been arrested for hanging suspicious bags of white powder on political signs in Ahwatukee and is also connected to the Tempe DNC office shootings, police said Tuesday night.

Investigators did not release his name or say how they linked him to the two series of crimes, but said they would have more information Wednesday afternoon.

The Arizona family was there when law enforcement loaded a man into a police SUV in the area of ​​44th Street and Chandler Boulevard in response to the suspicious powder Tuesday afternoon. It’s not clear if this is the suspect, so we’ve blurred out his face.

Unknown dust attached to political signs caused several intersections to be closed in Ahwatukee on Tuesday.

They include Chandler Boulevard near 44th Street and 35th Street, as well as Ray Road and 50th Street.

Police later said the signs were also lined with razor blades.

It’s unclear what the substance is, but crews weren’t taking any chances.

Signs with political messages and a bag of unknown white powder attached can be seen. The signs had messages like “DEMS LIE” and “DEMS KILL EWS.” Another reads “Never Harris,” referring to Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris.

One of the locations was near a church and the pastor said there were some stressful moments.

“What this is all about is someone threatening to hurt people, especially when it comes to hurting children. It can’t get more obscene than that,” said Family of Christ Luthern Church Pastor Fred Gerlach. “The thing that bothered me the most is that I didn’t know if we were being targeted because we are a school and a church.”

No injuries have been reported and we are still waiting to find out what the substance is.

In Tempe, police said the same suspect shot at the Democratic office near Southern Avenue and Priest Drive three times, the most recent shooting on Oct. 6. The other two were on September 16 and September 23.

Police say the suspect fired BBs and shots at the office.

No one was in the building at the time, and the Democratic Party eventually closed the field office.

Again, it is unclear how the crimes are linked to one man, but police will release more information on Wednesday.

“Unprecedented” political threats

Stan Barnes, a political consultant with three decades of experience, told Arizona Family that he has never seen political threats and violence like what is happening in this election cycle.

“People are taking pictures of it. People brag to their friends about what they’ve done, and it makes everyone feel relevant, and it’s all negative,” Barnes said. “It seems to me that the bitter fruit of division that we have in Arizona and in the nation is one of the clues, one of the symptoms, that things are wrong in the political public sphere.”

Barnes believes social media is contributing to the problem and that the situation won’t be resolved anytime soon.