Daytona Beach Woman Accused of Threatening on Instagram to Shoot Trump Before Ocean Center Rally: 'Wish Me Luck'

A 21-year-old Daytona Beach woman is being held without bond, accused of posting a threat on Instagram to shoot President Donald Trump the night before his Oct. 30 rally at the Ocean Center, according to the Volusia County Sheriff's Office. Allison Jeanne Albro was arrested after federal agents flagged the post and deputies and U.S. Secret Service agents went to her home, the sheriff's office said. She told investigators the post was a joke.

Albro is charged with written threats to kill or do bodily injury and unlawful use of a two-way communication device, according to the sheriff's office as reported by FOX 13. She has not been convicted, and the charges are allegations.

What the post said

According to police records cited by FOX 13, the Thursday night post included a selfie-style photo of Albro and a caption that read in part, "Going to a trump rally in my city tmr," followed by a redacted word describing what she would do to the president with a gun, and ending, "wish me luck guys !!"

Accounts differ on which federal agency spotted the post first. FOX 13 reported that the Secret Service flagged it and contacted the sheriff's office's Domestic Security Unit. WFTV Channel 9 reported that detectives with the Daytona-area investigative unit were notified by the FBI on Thursday about an Instagram post threatening gun violence against the president. According to WFTV, personnel at the Volusia Crime Center quickly identified Albro as the person allegedly responsible, and the investigation involved local detectives, the FBI, the crime center and the Secret Service.

What she told deputies

Detectives and Secret Service agents went to Albro's Daytona Beach residence. When deputies arrived, she was "emotionally upset" and "stated she knew why law enforcement was there," according to the arrest report as described by FOX 13.

Albro admitted making the post but told deputies it was "obviously a joke," the report said. She said she did not own a Glock, did not like guns and would never hurt anyone, and she acknowledged that she does not like the president. She also told deputies that her mother had told her to take the post down after warning her she could be arrested for it, according to the report.

Authorities conducted a consensual search of the home and found no firearms, ammunition or related accessories, WFTV reported. She was arrested early Friday, Oct. 30, hours before the rally, and booked into jail.

Held without bond

At her first appearance, a judge ordered Albro held without bond, WFTV reported. A further hearing was to be scheduled within five days. No statement from an attorney on her behalf had been reported.

Under Florida law, sending or posting a written or electronic threat to kill or do bodily harm is a second-degree felony, punishable by up to 15 years in prison. Unlawful use of a two-way communication device to facilitate a felony is a third-degree felony. Prosecutors with the State Attorney's Office for the Seventh Judicial Circuit, which covers Volusia County, will decide what formal charges to file. Neither the sheriff's office nor the outlets that reported the arrest mentioned federal charges.

Sheriff: threats are not a joke

Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood shared an image of the alleged post on social media and warned others against similar posts.

"We are not going to tolerate threats to assassinate the president. I would strongly advise anyone else thinking of posting a 'joke' along these lines to think twice," Chitwood said in a Facebook post, as quoted by FOX 13.

Chitwood said his agency continued to work with the Secret Service, the FBI and other law enforcement partners to make sure the presidential visit to Daytona Beach was safe for attendees and the community.

A second arrest on rally day

Separately, the Daytona Beach Police Department arrested a 15-year-old Mainland High School student on Friday, the day of the rally, after she allegedly searched "how to kill the president" on a school computer, WKMG News 6 reported. The Florida Press does not name juveniles charged with crimes.

According to a police affidavit cited by WKMG, the school received an alert from Gaggle, a program that scans district-issued accounts and devices for signs of violence or danger. The alert showed the student had typed "how to kill the president" followed by "im just kidding" on her district-issued OneDrive account. The affidavit said the "im just kidding" comment showed she knew a reasonable person would view the original words as a threat.

Police said the student resisted when an officer went to detain her, trying to leave his office and then kicking and swinging her arms before the officer brought her to the floor and handcuffed her. Her guardian told police she has no access to weapons at home. She faces charges of threatening to kill or cause bodily harm, obstructing police and resisting an officer without violence, according to WKMG.

Security around the Ocean Center

The arrests came as local, state and federal agencies locked down Daytona Beach's beachside for the president's visit. In the days before the rally, Chitwood said agencies from Volusia and neighboring counties were assisting, warned that "the peninsula is going to go into lockdown," and said airspace restrictions would be in place, with drones prohibited, WKMG reported. On the morning of the event, the sheriff's office urged anyone not attending to avoid the area, saying road closures would make travel near the venue on North Atlantic Avenue impossible for an extended period, and said it was coordinating with the Secret Service and the Daytona Beach Police Department.

The rally went ahead Friday night with thousands of supporters inside and a couple hundred protesters outside. Spectrum News reported some verbal arguments but no reports of physical violence or arrests at the event, with a large law enforcement presence on hand throughout the day.

Why Florida treats these cases seriously

Florida has been the setting for one of the most serious threats against Trump in recent years: the September 2024 incident at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, where a man armed with a rifle was spotted by a Secret Service agent near the course while Trump was golfing. Since then, law enforcement agencies in the state have moved quickly on online threats against the president, particularly ahead of public appearances.

What's next

Albro remains in custody without bond pending her next hearing. The State Attorney's Office will determine whether to formally file the charges sought by the sheriff's office. The juvenile case will proceed in the juvenile justice system. The Daytona Beach event may have been Trump's final in-person rally in Florida before the Nov. 3 general election, Florida Politics reported.