Man faces terrorism charges for allegedly threatening customers in Utah County store

Salt Lake Police investigate a scene in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022. A man who police say threatened to shoot people inside an Orem Hobby Lobby is now facing criminal charges filed in Utah’s 4th District Court.
Salt Lake Police investigate a scene in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022. A man who police say threatened to shoot people inside an Orem Hobby Lobby is now facing criminal charges filed in Utah’s 4th District Court. | Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News

A man who police say forced an Orem store to evacuate when he threatened to kill everyone inside, is now facing several charges.

Boyd McQuade Winn, 26, of Pleasant Grove, was charged Monday in 4th District Court with commercial terrorism, a second-degree felony; making a terroristic threat, a third-degree felony; and criminal mischief, a class A misdemeanor.

On Thursday, Winn entered Hobby Lobby, at 360 W. University Parkway, "and began shouting that he was going to kill someone, pointing his fingers as though they were pistols and began pulling product from the shelves, breaking items," according to charging documents.

As shoppers began running, Winn followed some of them, while saying, "Don't run, don't hide," the charges state.

Emergency dispatchers received several 911 calls from people in the store, some stating that Winn "appeared to be angry as he was clinching his fist as he continued to yell in the store. The male was seen throwing items from the store into the floor as he was yelling 'I'm going to kill someone,'" a police booking affidavit states.

Some customers ran to the back of the store to go out the emergency exit. Winn followed them, according to police. When police arrived, they found some customers hiding in a storage container and another behind the counter.

Officers arrived and arrested Winn without further incident.