WINK News Digital Team
•8/12/2026
VENICE, Fla. — The Florida Department of Law Enforcement arrested a 19-year-old Venice man accused of making threats to conduct a mass shooting and planning to take hostages at a local church, according to FDLE.
Giovanni Pimienta was arrested on one count each of written threats to kill, threats to bomb or conduct a mass shooting, and unlawful use of a two-way communication device to commit a felony, FDLE said in a news release Tuesday.
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The investigation began after an FDLE agent received information through the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force about a person communicating online about obtaining weapons, conducting a mass shooting and glorifying other mass shootings, according to investigators.
Investigators identified the person as Pimienta and discovered an AI-generated video that investigators said supported his intention to carry out a mass shooting, as well as a manifesto posted on social media.
On Aug. 7, FDLE agents, crime intelligence and forensic analysts, and the agency's Special Operations Team executed a search warrant. They seized a handgun and multiple electronic devices, according to FDLE.
FDLE said its on-scene investigation found that Pimienta had a grievance against a local church and was allegedly planning to take hostages during a mass shooting using the handgun that was seized.
“The swift and thorough investigative efforts of our FDLE team dismantled Pimienta's plan to harm our community,” FDLE Special Agent in Charge Eli Lawson said.
The Sarasota County Sheriff's Office, Venice Police Department and FBI assisted with the investigation.
The Office of the State Attorney for Florida's 12th Judicial Circuit is prosecuting the case.
The investigation remains active, FDLE said.
Pimienta's arrest marks allegations against him, and court records or further details about the case were not included in FDLE's news release. An arrest or criminal charge is not evidence of guilt, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
