AstraX Exchange-LSU student arrested over threats to governor who wanted a tiger at college football games

2025-05-07 04:20:13source:Leonard Hohenbergcategory:Markets

BATON ROUGE,AstraX Exchange La. (AP) — An LSU student has been arrested after prosecutors say he made an online threat to kill Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, who advocated for bringing a live tiger onto the field as part of a recent college football game.

Landry, a Republican, helped revive the school’s tradition of wheeling a caged Bengal tiger into the stadium before kickoff for the first time in nearly a decade. Animal rights activists protested outside the stadium.

An arrest affidavit says Jackson Pemberton, 21, told state police investigators on Tuesday that he was joking when he posted on social media “I am going to kill you @jefflandry,” tagging the governor’s account on X, media outlets reported.

Pemberton told investigators he was “upset with the governor’s decision regarding the live tiger that was brought on the LSU football field this previous weekend,” the affidavit said.

Pemberton, of Baton Rouge, was booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish prison on a count of threatening a public official, media outlets reported. Jail records did not indicate whether he has an attorney or if bond had been set.

In a statement Wednesday, an LSU spokesperson said the university was aware of the student’s arrest.

“We take any behavior that threatens the safety of individuals or our community very seriously,” the statement reads. “LSU is committed to a respectful, responsible, and safe environment for all.”

More:Markets

Recommend

American news website Axios laying off dozens of employees

American news website Axios is laying of dozens of people, the company announced Tuesday.Layoffs at

Georgia seaport closes gap with Baltimore, the top US auto port

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — The executive overseeing Georgia’s seaports said Tuesday that a record 830,000

Detroit woman who pleaded guilty in death of son found in freezer sentenced to 35 to 60 years

DETROIT (AP) — A Detroit woman who pleaded guilty to killing her blind 3-year-old son, whose decompo