DALLAS _ A 19-year-old Lubbock man allegedly pondering a mass shooting was arrested Thursday by authorities, avoiding potential tragedy.
After a brief hospitalization, William Patrick Williams was taken into custody by ATF and FBI agents and charged with making false statements to a federally licensed firearms dealer.
"This was a tragedy averted," said Erin Nealy Cox, U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Texas.
According to court documents, Williams allegedly told his grandmother on July 13 that he had bought an AK-47 rifle and planned to "shoot up" a local hotel before committing "suicide by cop."
Hearing his intentions, the grandmother was able to convince Williams to allow her to instead take him to a local hospital.
Williams later consented to let police search a room he'd rented at the hotel, the U.S. attorney's office said. There, in addition to an AK-47, officers found 17 loaded magazines, multiple knives, a black trench coat and tactical pants, and black tactical gloves with the fingers cut off.
They also found a black T-shirt with the words, "Let 'Em Come."
Williams told officers he had arranged the weapons on the hotel bed so that they could be confiscated by authorities.
About a week later, ATF agents obtained the transaction form that Williams completed when buying the rifle and found that he had listed a relative's address as his residence when he was actually living elsewhere with a roommate after being thrown out of the relative's home.
Williams made his initial court appearance Friday morning. He faces up to five years in federal prison if convicted.
