Wisconsin man arrested for encouraging the shooting of federal agents on TikTok: Prosecutors

Written by on October 16, 2025

(KENOSHA COUNTY, Wis.) —  A Wisconsin man pleaded not guilty on Thursday after he was arrested for allegedly threatening federal agents in a series of TikTok videos, according to a criminal complaint obtained by ABC News.

Andrew Stanton, 38, was arrested earlier this month and charged with threats to assault, kidnap or murder a United States official after authorities linked him to several TikTok videos threatening agents at Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection, prosecutors said.

“When there are mass shootings, they are successful. People die and people are terrorized. You can apply that to other people: federal agents,” Stanton allegedly shared in a video on Sept. 10, prosecutors said.

On Aug. 26, the Southwest Wisconsin Threat Analysis Center received a tip from the Wisconsin Statewide Intelligence Center that an “individual appearing to be” Stanton was making threatening statements on TikTok specifically aimed at “soliciting Israeli personal information,” prosecutors said.

“Do you have the known whereabouts of [Israel flag] IDF members in the IL/WI area? Feel free to dm me. We need verification that they are IN or served,” the text in the video said, according to the criminal complaint.

The account where these statements were posted was removed, but prosecutors said additional accounts that were believed to be Stanton’s — after obtaining the email address associated with the accounts and comparing the suspect’s driver’s license photo with the man in the videos — contained similar rhetoric, prosecutors said.

On Aug. 29, one of those accounts posted a video that stated, “We’re not getting through to them [politicians] with using our words. That’s never gonna happen. You have to use bullets,” according to prosecutors.

Another video featured text on the screen that read, “I imply the very TRUE statement that a violent state can only be stopped with violence in return” and “I think we should be OFFING federal agents,” prosecutors said.

On Sept. 5, authorities made multiple attempts to interview Stanton, but were “unable to reach him,” prosecutors said.

Then, on Sept. 11, a federal law enforcement officer texted Stanton saying he was a supervisor with CBP, assigned to the FBI, indicating “he wished to speak to Stanton about posts he had been making,” the criminal complaint said.

Stanton then proceeded to send a series of threatening messages to the officer, prosecutors said.

“Please die. It will help future generations,” Stanton allegedly wrote.

Then, on Oct. 4, the suspect posted a video threatening the officer he had been messaging, prosecutors said.

“If they show up to your neighborhood, and I’m talking to you, Border Patrol Officer Joe, it’s time we start shooting you,” Stanton allegedly said in the video, according to the criminal complaint.

In the same video, Stanton also allegedly said, “If ICE shows up to your neighborhood — I’m sorry, I’m just gonna say it. It’s time to start [expletive] shooting at them,” according to the complaint.

Stanton’s final pretrial conference is scheduled for Dec. 1, with his trial being set for Dec. 15, according to court records. He is currently being held in the Kenosha County Detention Center, according to jail records.

An attorney representing Stanton did not immediately respond to ABC News’ request for comment.

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