When 28 members of Young Thug’s Atlanta-based YSL crew were arrested for racketeering — including Gunna and Young Thug himself — fans were understandably distraught. However, one fan, in particular, took things a little too far according to the Fulton County Sheriff’s Department, which told FOX5 that it had arrested the teenaged offender after he made death threats against the Sheriff and the Fulton County Clerk.
18-year-old Quartavius Mender was taken into custody on May 26 after commenting on Sheriff Pat Labat’s Instagram posts, saying that he would kill Labat, Labat’s wife Jackie, and Atlanta Public Schools Police Chief Ronald Applin unless the defendants in the case were set free. While Fox’s report is vague about just which defendant Mender was referring to, it’s probably safe enough to guess who the “high-profile defendant” was. Mender has been charged with 23 counts of terrorist threats, which are all felonies, and he has not been granted bond as yet.
“We take these kinds of brazen threats seriously,” Labat told the local news. “Social media cyberbullying, and hiding behind a keyboard will not protect someone from criminal prosecution. Our investigators are diligent in seeking individuals who mean to do harm to anybody, and I am grateful to them for ensuring the safety of myself, my wife, and all citizens of Fulton County.”
Young Thug, Gunna, and their YSL cohorts were all arrested and charged under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act for being a hybrid street gang responsible for dozens of counts of violent crimes, from armed robbery to murder. However, the case has also drawn criticism for including the two rappers, as the majority of the evidence listed against them in the 88-page indictment came in the form of their own lyrics, which prosecutors used to draw the connection between them and the alleged gang. Most recently, Young Thug and Gunna were both denied bond, as the judge felt they could both be flight risks or even tamper with witnesses.
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