A Dade City, Florida man has been arrested and charged with unlicensed possession of a modified automatic rifle after he told Pasco County law enforcement he saw an “invisible person” and threatened a mass shooting was going to happen at the Tampa Premium Outlet Mall.
United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announced the arrest and filing of a criminal complaint charging Stewart Walter Bachmann,of Dade City, with one count of unlicensed possession of a firearm not registered in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record (NFRTR). If convicted, Bachmann faces up to 10 years in federal prison.
According to the complaint, on August 5, 2023, the Pasco Sheriff’s Office received a telephone call from Bachman who told the dispatcher that he was being held hostage and was going to be “put under” by people who were able to walk through the “5th dimension.” As the call progressed, Bachmann also stated there was “going to be something like 9/11,” and there was currently an invisible person in the backseat of his vehicle. Deputies from the Pasco Sheriff’s Office made contact with Bachmann near the Tampa Premium Outlet Mall. Bachmann told the deputies that the CIA was planning a politically motivated mass shooting at the mall. When deputies asked Bachmann if he was going to be the one committing the shooting, he indicated he didn’t know or hadn’t been told that yet.
The Pasco Sherriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) conducted a search warrant of Bachmann’s home and located several firearms that had been registered in the NFRTR. However, another firearm, an RAK15 AR-15 type rifle, was also located. This rifle had been modified to be able to house an automatic sear, making the firearm capable of being fired as a fully automatic weapon, like a machine gun. ATF found no records for this weapon in the NFRTR, indicating Bachmann was unlawfully in possession of the device.
This case was investigated by the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Pasco Sheriff’s Office. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Samantha Newman.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.
