Two men have been taken into custody after they allegedly began yelling "white power" and threaten to shoot up a popular nightclub on the Strip, Las Vegas police said.
The incident began on Aug. 10 when Johnny Young, 22, and Braxton Ryback, 25, went to the XS nightclub inside the Encore hotel-casino on the Las Vegas Strip, police said. According to the arrest reports, Young and Ryback were arguing with guests at the nightclub, with the two of them yelling things like "white privilege, white power" and "we are white supremacists." The pair were also locking fists as if they were about to hit people in the club.
The pair also allegedly told people at the club that they were willing to "take out anyone who stands in their way" and then began recording security. One witness told police that the man identified as Young said he would come back and shoot up the nightclub.
When police arrived, they trespassed Ryback from the club, while Young ran off. Security at the club took Young into custody when he returned to the club at around 1 a.m., at which point he was trespassed by police.
Several hours later, Young returned to Encore with a pepper spray device and was quickly taken into custody by security and later arrested by police, the report said.
Young told police that he had been drunk and angry at security because they'd stopped him from taking photos of the security cameras, but he had no intention of hurting anyone. He also told police that he had a weapon in his vehicle as well as another weapon back at his apartment. During the interview with police, he also said that he and Ryback spent time together on a website known for being a neo-Nazi message board that espouses white supremacist beliefs and that he shared those beliefs with Ryback. He also told police he only intended to use the pepper spray for personal protection if it was needed.
Young explained his connection to Ryback, saying he ran an illegal AirBnB and that Young and his girlfriend were currently staying with him in Las Vegas.
Police obtained a search warrant and recovered multiple items, including guns, ammunition, and various identification cards from Nevada and Belgium, from the apartment Young and Ryback were staying in. Authorities also discovered a BB gun in Young's Hyundai as well as a hard drive.
Due to the fact both men created "fear and panic with the patrols and security officers" with their alleged actions, both Ryback and Young were charged with making threats or conveying false information concerning acts of terrorism. If convicted, the pair faces at least two years in prison and fines of up to $5,000.
Photo: Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department