Florida Attorney Arrested After Allegedly Asking a Gun Store Whether Rifles Could Pierce ICE Agents' Body Armor
Federal authorities say Lisa White told gun store staff she wanted to kill federal agents. The store refused the sale and called authorities. ICE says threats against its officers are rising sharply.
A woman identified by Homeland Security Investigations as a Florida attorney is in federal custody. Authorities say she threatened to shoot ICE agents while trying to buy a gun. The allegations come from an ICE release and a criminal complaint cited by the Sun Herald. She has not been convicted.
What authorities allege. Lisa White, who lives in Mississippi, was arrested in Long Beach. ICE says she allegedly threatened to "kill federal agents" while trying to buy a firearm and pepper spray. According to the complaint, she walked into High Caliber Guns around 11:30 a.m. and said, "I need a gun." She called herself an activist and protester who wanted protection at a protest because "ICE agents are becoming crazy and wild."
The complaint says she also told an employee she wanted a gun to kill ICE agents. It says she asked whether certain guns could penetrate an agent's body armor and said that if they could not, she would need to "hit them in the head, shoulder, arm or leg." An employee warned her that pointing a gun at law enforcement would likely get her killed. She allegedly replied, "If I have to die, I have to die." The employee suggested pepper spray and a shooting range. White looked at two pistols and left empty-handed after the store declined to complete the sale.
How it unfolded. Store employees alerted authorities. An ATF agent flagged the encounter to HSI on September 23, and HSI Gulfport agents interviewed witnesses and found and arrested White. She remained in custody while agents prepared a federal charge of influencing, impeding or retaliating against a federal official by threat. HSI Gulfport's Matthew Reidell commended the "vigilance of the citizens" who reported it.
The wider claim. ICE says assaults on its officers are up more than 1,600%, vehicle attacks up 3,300% and death threats up 8,000%. Fox notes the agency gave no underlying totals or comparison period, so those percentages cannot be checked.
What the report does not say. Fox says it asked White for comment. It does not say whether she has a lawyer or has entered a plea.