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Cops say terrorist threat to Lakeside Mall thwarted; Shelby Township man, 20, held

Tyler Tindell, 20, was arraigned Monday on a charge of making a terrorist threat, after investigators determined he'd sent text messages planning a mass shooting at the mall, police said.
Credit: Shelby Township police
Tyler Tindell, 20, of Shelby Township, is accused sending threatening text messages planning a mass shooting at Lakeside Mall.

A Shelby Township man faces up to 20 years in prison after police said he sent text messages threatening to shoot up Lakeside Mall in Sterling Heights.

Tyler Tindell, 20, was arraigned Monday on a charge of making a terrorist threat, after investigators determined he'd sent text messages planning a mass shooting at the mall, police said.

Tindell was arrested Friday hours after three police departments began scrambling to locate him. The manhunt was launched after Shelby Township police "received a credible tip outlining a potential domestic terrorist act planned for Lakeside Mall," according to Shelby Township Deputy Chief Mark Coil. Tindell was arrested late Friday and police executed a search warrant at his home, finding one firearm, Coil said in a news release.

Held over the weekend, Tindell was given a bond of $150,000 cash or surety bond — meaning he must post the full amount to gain freedom — by 41A District Court Judge Douglas Shepherd. Police would not describe or reveal the identify of the person to whom they said Tindell texted the threats.

Sterling Height Police Chief Dale Dwojakowski credited the cooperation of multiple police agencies in arresting the suspect and defusing the threat.

Shelby Township officers quickly began working in tandem with the Sterling Heights Police Department and the Macomb County’s FBI Violent Crimes Task Force "to "quickly to locate the suspect," while officers from Sterling Heights police were sent to provide beef up security at Lakeside Mall and the surrounding area, Dwajakowski said in the release.

"At no time was the safety of anybody at Lakeside Mall in jeopardy" thanks to the close coordination of the three agencies, he said.

Last week, a 17-year-old Sterling Heights youth was arrested on the same charge of domestic terrorism for making threats against a local high school.

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