EMERY COUNTY, Utah — A man has been arrested after making violent threats online related to the upcoming BYU vs. Utah rivalry game, according to law enforcement.
The Emery County Sheriff's Office booked 28-year-old Christopher Tai Justice into jail on suspicion of threats of violence and obstruction of justice.
Police said they received reports of an anonymous account on X (formerly known as Twitter) making threats. An arrest report said investigators linked the account to Justice.
Some of the posts allegedly included:
- "I will be in [LaVell Edwards Stadium] Saturday. Any Ute fan see is dead. Mark my words."
- "anyone wearing red on Saturday is getting shot."
- "come to LES and enjoy a bullet to the head bring your ... kids too."
A probable cause statement said the arresting deputy went to Justice's house with his probation officer. They said Justice initially denied writing the posts, but then the probation officer matched his phone's serial number to the one linked to the X account. The probation officer also allegedly found text messages between Justice and another person, discussing the posts. In those messages, they said Justice told his friend that he would deny having posted those messages "if it goes this far." He then admitted that he was the one who made the posts.
A judge granted Justice's release with strict conditions, including home confinement and electronic monitoring.
