East Alton Man Faces 11 Class X Felonies For Making Terrorist Threats Against Local Businesses
Fast food restaurants, local bar, more targeted in nearly month-long string of terrorist threats made via phone.
EAST ALTON – An East Alton man faces 11 Class X felonies after allegedly making a series of terrorist threats targeting several local businesses.
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Austin H. Blair, 25, of East Alton, was charged on Sept. 4, 2025 with 11 counts of making a terrorist threat, each Class X felonies. From July 28 to Aug. 27, 2025, Blair allegedly knowingly threatened to commit a terrorist act or created the impression that a terrorist act was about to be committed on 11 different occasions.
Blair allegedly made a series of terrorist threats via phone calls to several local businesses, including fast food restaurants, a convenience store and a local bar. On each occasion, he either falsely reported seeing an active shooter approaching the location or threatened to commit an act of violence the location, according to charging documents.
On July 28, 2025, Blair reportedly made four such terrorist threats in one day, with each incident described in charging documents as follows:
Blair allegedly called a Taco Bell in East Alton and stated: “I see a dude with a big gun walking toward your store.”
He reportedly conveyed a threat to an East Alton McDonald’s that “a shooter was coming to the store.”
He also reportedly called an East Alton Sonic restaurant, where he threatened that “a shooter was coming to the store and did not care if the police were at the location.”
He allegedly told employees of a Wood River Casey’s General Store that “there’s going to be an active shooter at your store in 5 to ten minutes.”
Blair made additional terrorist threats on the following dates to the following local businesses:
July 29: Blair allegedly called a Domino’s Pizza location in East Alton with a “threat to shoot up the store.”
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July 30: Blair reportedly called the same Sonic location in East Alton with a “threat they were going to arrive and shoot up the business.”
July 31: Blair reportedly made another threat to the same East Alton McDonald’s, with the threat “referencing firearms and bodily harm to the employees.”
Aug. 10: Blair allegedly made a threat of “blowing up the building and shooting the staff” at the previously mentioned Domino’s location in East Alton.
Aug. 18: Blair reportedly threatened employees of Runway Lounge in Bethalto by asking, “You ever had an assault rifle in your face?”
Aug. 21: Blair reportedly once again called the same East Alton Domino’s with a “threat [of] blowing up the building and shooting the staff.”
Aug. 27: Blair allegedly made another “threat to shoot up the bar” at Runway Lounge in Bethalto.
According to the state’s petition to deny his pretrial release from custody, Blair also made repeated false reports of active shooting situations to local law enforcement.
“Defendant was identified as the subject who made multiple calls to local businesses, threatening to commit mass shootings at multiple public locations,” the petition states. “Defendant repeatedly informed law enforcement of an active shooting situation, resulting in a law enforcement response.”
The petition adds Blair was identified by authorities based on the IP address he used to make the threats, “and he admitted to the offenses.”
The East Alton Police Department presented the case against Blair, who has since been granted pretrial release from custody under an Order of Electronic Monitoring.
All individuals charged are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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