An Indiana man made online threats toward players on Cal State Long Beach’s basketball team after a championship game with Cal State Fullerton earlier this month, officials said Monday, March 21.

Authorities were investigating the threats sent via direct message on Facebook, Cal State Long Beach University police Lt. Carol Almaguer said.

The threats came after Cal State Fullerton’s 72-71 victory over Cal State Long Beach on Saturday, March 12, near Las Vegas, Nevada, in the the Big West Tournament.

The suspect sent multiple messages to the LBSU Athletics Facebook page, referencing the university should be “blown up” and the team’s coach and his family poisoned, authorities say.

Another message said that one of the team’s players will die “by a bullet,” according to authorities. There was also a photo sent of a knife being held in someone’s hand.

University police investigators believe they have identified the suspect and were working with law enforcement in Indiana, Almaguer said.

“(The threats) were pretty specific, they were menacing, ” Almaguer said. “The nature of the threats were against their lives basically; there were some racial slurs within that same text thread.”

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