Right Wing Radical Threatens To 'Hunt' Phoenix LGBTQ Supporters

PHOENIX, AZ — A right wing agitator has threatened in a video posted to Twitter to "hunt" LGBTQ supporters in Phoenix.

Ethan Schmidt, 24, is a pro-life anti-masker, who has posted videos of himself alongside U.S. Rep. for Arizona Paul Gosar and Arizona State Sen. Wendy Lake. He's previously posted videos on his Telegram account of him harassing people wearing masks inside Costco and of him yelling, "Are you going to kill your child?" at a pregnant woman who was attending a pro-choice rally.

Several of Schmidt's accounts on Facebook and Twitter have been banned, but his recent video in which he takes aim at Target was reposted to Twitter by Patriot Takes, an account that says it's dedicated to monitoring and exposing right-wing extremism.

"We're going to be going on hunting expeditions pretty soon, you know, hunting the LGBT supporters across Arizona and Phoenix," Schmidt said in the video. "So you know, keep an eye out for that because you're not safe. If you support the LGBT agenda, you're not safe."

On his existing Twitter account, created this month, Schmidt describes himself as a "notorious anti mask crusader and found of the Antimaskers Club."

The account only had 84 followers as of Thursday, but Schmidt said he should have millions and added that his small following was because, "big tech only wants new world order narratives."

He had around 1,300 subscribers on the social media and messaging app Telegram as of Thursday. Telegram has served as a safe-haven of sorts for conservatives whose accounts were banned from platforms like Facebook and Twitter, or those who wanted to move from those platforms when others were banned.

The Phoenix Police Department said Thursday that it is aware of Schmidt's threats against Target and that detectives are looking into the threats.

"We understand statements made in the video may be concerning to members of our community," the department said. "The large retail store and their security team are also aware of the video and its contents."

Police asked Phoenicians to report anything they see that makes them feel unsafe to authorities.