Police prepare for BYU-Utah ‘Holy War’ game after threat made on social media

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — ABC4 spoke with Brigham Young University Police about security ahead of the “Holy War” rivalry game between the Utah Utes and BYU Cougars on Saturday. Concerns come in the wake of threats made against Utah students and the shooting

of Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University.

“We take the safety and security at the stadium and during games and other large events very seriously,” BYU Police Public Information Officer Karen Ellingson told ABC4. “We will have officers at the portals when you enter, throughout the stadium, and outside the stadium.”

There’s also a screening process that all fans will go through before they enter the stadium, Ellingson said. Officers will also be blocking off the road at 150 East just outside the front of LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo.

“We will take whatever precautions that we can take for every game,” she said. “We have about 15-plus agencies who send officers over for events like this one.”

Ellingson added that many of BYU’s officers have decades of experience at other agencies prior to their careers at BYU. She also mentioned that their officers are aware of threats made online toward Utah students.

“When people saw the threats on social media a few days ago and called that into law enforcement, that’s exactly what we need people to do,” Ellingson told ABC4. “If there’s a threat that’s perceived anywhere, where it’s on social media, or in person, or somewhere else… if you hear something, you see something, say something. Give us a call. And calling law enforcement was the perfect move in this case.”

The suspect, Christopher Tai Justice, 28, was arrested and booked into jail on charges of threat of violence and obstruction of justice.

An account called “@juiceisloose328” allegedly posted things like “I’ll be in LES Saturday. Any Ute fan I see is dead. Mark my words,” and “anyone wearing red on Saturday is getting shot” on X. He made further threats referencing a “bullet to the head.”

The arrest document states that an Emery County Sheriff’s Deputy responded alongside Justice’s probation officer early Wednesday morning. Justice allegedly told them that he had deleted X more than a year ago and would “never say anything like that.”

While the sheriff’s deputy spoke with Justice, the probation officer went through his house and located the X app downloaded on his iPad, documents say. The serial number on Justice’s cell phone matched the one provided by an investigation into the accounts data.

He later admitted to law enforcement that he made the posts and lied because he was “scared of what could happen.” Justice was subsequently arrested and booked into the Emery County Jail, but documents indicate he has been released on home detention conditions.