Cosplay Influencer Arrested for Threatening Rival at Anime Con

An anime convention took a wild turn. when a well-known cosplayer was arrested. for allegedly making a bomb threat. This. is just a wild allegation. And wait till. you hear what prompted this. We are. bringing on retired NYPD detective Tom. Smith to talk about this alleged threat. Was an arrest justified here? And how do. you provide overall security at a. massive event like this? Welcome to. Sidebar presented by Law and Crime. I'm. Jesse Weber. Conventions can be exciting, right? Lots.

of people, different booths. Sometimes. we can see famous people. Hey, we got. Crime Con in Denver this weekend. We're. all going to be there from law and. crime. Hope everybody can come out. We. can check everybody out. But you know. what? You don't usually equate. conventions with threats to blow up a. competitor's booth. Yeah, I don't really. see that too often. Alleged crimes like. that. But that is what we are talking. about in Texas. 25-year-old cosplayer. Kendra Null Manning is accused of doing. just that this past weekend. She is. known by the name Kit Null. Reportedly,

she's pretty big on social media. She. reportedly has over a 100,000 followers. on Tik Tok, more than 16,000 on. Instagram, dresses up like popular. characters from DC and Marvel. Well, there was this convention. It was the. San Japan Anime and Gaming Convention. and the website describes it as quote, "Sand Japan is the largest anime and. gaming convention in the South Texas. region. We take place at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San. Antonio Grand Hyatt in downtown San. Antonio on Labor Day weekend. San Japan.

is a fan-run organization providing an. annual anime focused convention. Remember that you're also helping us. supply high quality entertainment and. education while fostering a safe and fun. environment for all of our attendees. Be. a part of our cause, striving to. cultivate an acceptance and appreciation. of anime and related fandoms. But here's. the problem. Manning was arrested on. Sunday for publicly commenting on an. Instagram post that she would be. planting a bomb in their booth today,

referring to this drink. Yeah, let me. explain this. It's not great. This was. apparently in response to some comment. criticizing gamer subs, which is an. energy drink that's marketed in the. streaming community. And the comment. online that Manning apparently responded. to, was an Instagram story that read, "Bleep gamer subs entitled weirdos." And. according to the New York Post, someone. attending the convention saw Manning. responding to this as I said what the.

post was that she was going to blow up. this booth or allegedly blow up this. booth. and saw this as a legitimate. threat, reported the post to the. management team at the convention and. they then contacted police and instead. of showing up in her planned Harley. Quinn outfit, you know, the Joker's. girlfriend, she wasn't let into the. event. Instead, a criminal trespass was. issued and she was arrested and. according to reporting from outlets like. Kens5, Manning admitted to making the. comment. So, Manning has been charged. with making a terroristic threat to. impair public service. That is a. thirdderee felony. It's defined as a.

person commits an offense if he. threatens to commit any offense. involving violence to any person or. property with intent to cause impairment. or interruption of public. communications, public transportation, public water, gas, or power supply or. other public service. I think it carries. up to 2 to 10 years in prison. We. definitely wanted to bring you this. story. So, let me thank Upside, our. sponsor, okay, for making this happen. Upside is great. It is a free app that. gets cash back when you buy daily. essentials. So, I pump my gas, I can use. upside. I go out to lunch, I can use.

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was released from the Bear County Jail. on a $35,000 bond. So, now we got to. talk about this and I want to bring on. retired NYPD detective Tom Smith, who's. the host of the Gold Shield Show. Joins. me right now is going to be in Crime. Con. Are you also providing security for. the event? Are you looking around? >> No, I'm off. >> You're off. I'm just enjoying uh. promoting the show. Before we get into. this case, but though conventions, right, convention centers, these big. events, it feels like a nightmare from a. security point of view. Is it?

>> It is because you have so many entities. that are there, you have the. participants that are there, you have. the outside security, you have visitors, guests, you know, special events that go. on. So, there's a lot of coverage that's. needed security-wise, both inside and. outside. This had 30,000 attendees going. to this, right? How do you guarantee. security? How do you do it? >> You do your best at doing it. You know, you try to, you know, check as many. people as you can. Bags, megatometers,

you know, all that to make sure no one's. bringing any weapons in. If there's any. K9 dogs or bomb sniffing dogs available, they'll be on site. So, you try to show. as much as you can with with providing a. sense of security that everyone can have. a good time and relax and not have to. worry about it. Are you checking the. social media accounts, the online. activity of participants, people. attending, or is that just impossible to. do? >> That's hard to do with that many people. and probably over such a broad range of. social media accounts that would kind of.

be hard to do. >> And how important is the public in this? I mean, here you had somebody who saw. the comment, reported it to management, they then contacted police, see. something, say something. Is that. critical in these kinds of conventions? >> Oh, absolutely. It's critical every day. Uh, and I'm glad someone did it because. you have to take all these threats. serious whether they're online or in. person or whatever. And that's what this. person did. They saw something they. didn't like. It was strange. It was. dangerous and brought it to the. attention of the authorities which is. exactly what you should do. >> And what did you make of the response.

not letting her back into the convention. criminal trespass and then an arrest? >> It's the right It's the right response. because you can't just think you can get. away with that. It's 2025. You think. someone would have enough knowledge that. you can't just make a threat like that, an overall threat in a building with so. many people in an event like that and. not pay the consequences. So I think. their response was right on because you. have to take things serious, Jesse, with. the things going on around the world and. in this country now if the worst part is. not to do anything because what could.

happen are devastating. Are you. surprised that you're seeing something. like this at a convention where it's. like-minded people, they're all in the. same interest. They're all, you know, it's a collaborative community, whatever. it is. Um, to see something like this, are you surprised? >> Yes, I am. Uh, because everyone, you. know, you mentioned Crime Con. Everyone. in Crime Con is kind of on the same page. and there for the same reason with the. same mentality and the people that are. there are all there to have a good time. and to kind of look and see the people. they follow and so forth. So, it's a.

relaxed atmosphere and a relaxed event. And the last thing you want is something. like this. But if it needs to be stepped. up on a security level or law. enforcement level, it needs to be. >> Let's get into the specifics of this. case, though. You think an arrest was. warranted here? Why do I say that? Was. she really being serious? Was it not. just a joke? Because let me just throw. this out there. I looked up some other. cases in Texas that had a similar. charge. There was Martin Rivera Perez. Gonzalez who was hit with the same. charge for allegedly sending a bunch of.

emails to 50 different people writing. that if he didn't get money he would. begin what he called operation kill all. citizens. You say that to me I say that. feels like an overt step. That feels. like an overt threat. You had two. students in Texas who arrested for. threatening to shoot up their high. school even though one apparently didn't. have a firearm. But a second student. allegedly suggested he could provide the. weapons. Both of those examples feel. more more egregious than what happened. here. >> Yeah, I agree. Uh but it depends on who.

the DA is, who the cops are, the. atmosphere of what's going on, and the. thought of we can't let this keep going. on or it's going to keep going on and. one day it's going to be real and one. day it's going to be legitimate. And. it's a hold people accountable for their. actions on whatever level they may be. She may have a million or so followers. and maybe think she could get away with. doing something like this and sometimes. those people have to be reeled in and. reality has to settle in and you know. justice has to come forward.

>> But if she had no bomb- makingaking. materials, if there were no plans set in. motion that she was actually going to do. this and it was an offhanded comment, a. wrong comment clearly, is this really. going to lead to a prosecution? And by. the way, if she made it publicly on a. public platform like Instagram, was she. really being serious? >> No, I don't think so. Uh, I think the. right move in my mind would have been, you know, hold her, do a quick sweep of. the area, interview her, check her. social media account even further to see.

if she's done this before there there's. any history of this. Uh, interview the. people that she did put the thread out. to if it ever happened before. And then, you know, could, you know, a trespass. summons, kick her out for the day, something like that, have taken place? Sure. Uh, but we don't make those. decisions. And, uh, the people that do, that's what they came up with. >> So, you have to investigate everything. You have to look at everything. This, how would you interview her? What would. you What would that What would that. conversation look like?

>> You know what it with me? I'm I'm very. low-key when I need to be. And it would. have been like, what are you doing? Like, what'd you do? and just get a. truthful statement out of her about what. she did. Admit what she did. Make sure. again, hey, let me see your social media. account. Show it to me. Make sure. there's nothing else like that on there. And then go and interview the people. that she actually put the thread out to. their relationship. Is there a history. there? Did you take it serious? Were you. really in danger, you know, of your. life? Or was it just, well, you can't.

say that to me. I'm going to get you. now. So, there there's an array of. things I would have done uh differently, but I'm not there. >> No, but that is interesting. Like you. say it in a way like okay what what did. you do like almost like okay I'll. explain it like this was all taken she. might be more forthcoming with. information than if you were come in you. know very strong and say you're facing a. thirdderee fel like tell us what like. that actually that's an interesting. technique are you surprised she. allegedly confessed now to be clear I. can't tell from the reporting if she. just said yes I made that comment versus.

yes I made a threat that's different. >> that's very different you know and then. again that's all part of just the. interview that you're going to go. through. And when you're trying to get. something like this out, a more relaxed. interview is going to go over better. Even, you know, throw a joke out there. like, "I didn't get dressed up. I'm. sorry I'm not dressed up today to. interview you." You know, something to. kind of break the levity and bring it. down a little bit to just getting the. information out there that's necessary. to either further the investigation or. or conclude it.

>> By the way, social media sometimes can. be a cesspool. It can be a toxic. playground where people say all. different kinds of comments to each. other. How do police actually in they. can't investigate everything. So what do. you do? I mean I'm sure even if I were. to go on Instagram today I'm sure. whatever accounts there's probably. threats for people who particularly. polarizing figures if you look in the. comments section there's probably. threats um or or you know questionable. comments. How do police choose what to. look at and what to investigate? Does it.

take somebody who's connected and be. like, "Hey, I saw this. I'm bothered by. it. I I think that this is something.". Is it knowing that two people are going. to be in the same area? I mean, how do. you investigate everything? >> It depends on why you're investigating. it and why you're looking into that. social media account. You know, the. history of the threat, uh, the history. behind the threat, the person, the. people involved, you know, what's going. on in that area at that time. Are there. more threats that are out there? So, a. lot goes into looking at social media. threats. And then you get into the fine.

line of the first amendment, you know, and was it real? I have the right to say. anything but not cross that line. So law. enforcement always has that line to to. kind of straddle when you're looking at. social media accounts when there's. threats involved to get more of a. background of of why you're looking at. it and the parties that are involved. >> Are you surprised what people post these. days on social media in terms of. thinking about liability, potential. liability? Oh god, I'm I'm shocked all. the time. And what's even more shocking.

is some of the things you see put out. there that go through and then some of. the things that are taken down. So. there's that weirdness in the social. media world of what's actually a threat. or what these platforms conceive as a. threat when either blocking it, taking. it down, or letting it go through. So. they have a responsibility as well to. filter through what's being posted on. their platforms to make the realization. or determination whether it's a threat, whether it's real, or whether it's just. a statement. >> What's the next part of this.

investigation? You talked about. interviewing the different people. involved. But do they keep an eye on. Manning and see what she does next? >> They may. Uh they may have someone, you. know, kind of saying hello to her, you. know, through the course of another. convention or something just to make. sure it doesn't happen again. Do I think. she's going to learn a lesson from this? I hope so, because maybe she's getting. the reality check that threats are taken. serious and they have to be checked out. to the fullest extent. >> Well, look, it's kind of distressing at.

a big public event like this to see. something. But you and I, we're both. going to be at an event ourselves. We're. both going to be at Crime Con. I'm. actually doing a panel with Ashley. Banfield and Elizabeth Milner and Anget. Levy. We're doing it about uh Luigi. Manion, but you're going to be there as. well uh for Gold Shields, right? >> Yes, I am. can't wait. We're on Creator. Row this year, uh, which we got invited. to be on, which is a big deal for us. and, uh, we're just looking forward to. it. There's so many people that we've. gotten to known and been friends like us. that are all going to be there now, so. it's going to be a great time. >> Okay, I'm happy to see you there. I'm.

looking forward to it. Tom Smith, thanks. for taking the time. >> Always a pleasure, Jesse. Thank you. And. that is all we have for you right now. here on Sidebar. Everybody, thank you so. much for joining us. And as always, please subscribe on YouTube, Apple. Podcast, Spotify, wherever you should. get your podcasts. I'm Jesse Weber. I'll. speak to you next time. [Music].