A Wyoming-based artist is in custody after allegedly causing panic at the National Speech and Debate Tournament finals in Iowa last night. The competition sees students from high schools and middle schools nationwide competing in various contests.
The Des Moines Police Department said that Jayden Roccaforte’s “behavior prompted safety concerns and the immediate area was evacuated.”
Video from the event showed Roccaforte, 22, standing silently on stage. A student walks on stage, notices the suspect, and laughs nervously before telling the audience, “Run away!” The incident prompted unfounded rumors of a mass shooting at the event.
Among those in attendance was Frozen star Josh Gad, who said that he would “never forgive” the perpetrator for the panic caused in the arena. It had earlier been reported that Gad would be making an appearance at the finals to promote his book, “In Gad We Trust.” Gad won the 1998 Original Oratory Champion award.
“Today marked my return to the world of speech and debate after 26 long years. I came to celebrate the 100th anniversary of this incredible HS event. I was blessed enough to watch 5 incredible competitors in the final round of humorous interpretation,” Gad said in an Instagram statement.
“I will never forgive that individual for taking away the joy of all of these incredible students who were there to compete and be seen. The selfishness that the individual showed by terrifying a group of young individuals & their coaches was disgraceful,” he added.
Roccaforte updated his Instagram story throughout the day prior to the incident. He made no reference to attending the tournament, according to posts seen by The Independent.
Edward Workman, a debate coach from Kansas, told KCCI that his students were “totally traumatized” by the whole ordeal.
“No weapons were seen or have been recovered at this time. No injuries have been reported at this time,” the DMPD said in a statement.
“Everybody froze, and then everyone was moving. It was a mass dash for any opening that people could find,” Workman added.
While one of the competition judges compared the incident to something out of a movie.
“It was like we would see in a movie. Everyone’s trampling over each other, everyone’s running for the doors. People were falling over. At one point I dropped my phone and instantly I was like, ‘forget my phone’ and kept going,” Tommy Gray told KCCI.
The competition continued an hour after the evacuation. In a statement, the National Speech & Debate Association confirmed that the suspect was removed from the arena.
“The rest of the venue has been swept for any potential threats by members of law enforcement. We understand the concerns people have, and we want to assure everyone that this is an isolated incident,” the group said.
Roccaforte is being held at Polk County Jail on disorderly conduct and drug possession charges, according to online records.
