Police in Louisville were taking seriously threats that Kentucky's largest city was facing a "purge" inspired by a motion picture with the same name.
The 2013 movie "The Purge" and its sequel "The Purge: Anarchy" depicts a future where a 12-hour period is set aside each year where all crime, including murder, is legal.
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Concerns, started by random fliers about a proposed purge in Louisville, took off this week on social media, prompting calls to law enforcement and the media,
according to WLKY-TV.
Louisville police spokesman Sgt. Phil Russell told the
Louisville Courier-Journal that authorities are investigating the threats and urged citizens to contact them if they witness any violence or unusual activities.
"(Louisville police) take any threat that would incite violence on our community seriously," Russell told the newspaper.
Residents in neighboring Jeffersonville, Indiana, voiced their concern to local police, leading that agency to issue its own statement,
according to WHAS-TV.
"The Jeffersonville Police Department is aware of the social media threat regarding the movie 'The Purge,'" said the statement to WHAS-TV. "We continue our dedication to protecting the citizens of Jeffersonville and our visitors. We take all threats of violence serious and have responded by assigning additional officers and allocating resources to deter criminal activity and immediately respond to any acts of violence should they occur."
Some residents told media outlets that they are worried about the possible escalation if some try to participate in a "purge" activity.
"I think people should take it seriously because of people that are on the defensive side, they might take it seriously, they might arm themselves and if they see suspicious activity I think that they think it might give them permission to use force back," Maya McClendon, a University of Louisville sophomore told WHAS-TV.
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