# Comet Pizza incident. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 5, 2016, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comet-pizza-incident/773955 "2016-12-05T19:39:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2016, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comet-pizza-incident/773955/1 "2016-12-05T19:39:45Z")
Yesterday I’m on the L2 bus going north on Connecticut Avenue when the bus driver announces everyone has to get off. I exit the bus and see a swarm of police, the ones not doing crowd control and traffic re-direct are crouching and taking cover. At least one chopper. I GTFO as quickly as I could. “WTF happened?” I ask on FB. [This happened.](http://www.popville.com/2016/12/report-man-with-rifle-at-comet-ping-pong-in-chevy-chase/) Got a report from a FOAF who works there. Man just walked in with several guns and told people to leave the establishment. The door guy/host–all of 19 years old–did a masterful job of getting everyone out without panicking. The man walks in the back. One employee is still there, having gone to the bathroom. He leaves the john and he is the only person in the place besides the gunman. Gunman points rifle at him and tells him to leave. He fires a couple of rounds at a padlock, apparently in the belief that the locked door leads to a secret network of tunnels holding child sex slaves. In fact it is a locker where employees can store their stuff while at work. That is all I know other than what’s in the news reports. Jesus, the world we live in now. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2016, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comet-pizza-incident/773955/2 "2016-12-05T19:57:15Z")
Saw this on the news this morning. Unfuckingbelievable. Not only did this guy believe the dumbass fake news story he thought he ought to personally go do something about. Anybody can go on the internet read crap and buy a gun, yet you still need a license to sell real estate. Oh, and Trump haters, this is one for you, his National Security Adviser tweeted the dumbfuck conspiracy story with a “Read this and you decide” intro. Not just his son who was tweeting this crap, the guy who is advising Trump on National Security. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2016, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comet-pizza-incident/773955/3 "2016-12-05T19:57:53Z")
#RealFakeNews: within minutes, perhaps seconds, of this story hitting the news, the fake news mongers were claiming it was a false flag operation. Hope this guy appreciates irony. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2016, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comet-pizza-incident/773955/4 "2016-12-05T20:03:57Z")
The owner is a really cool guy. The staff are all decent people too. It’s a great place to bring kids during the day–They have ping pong–and at night they put on shows by local bands. The food is really good. It’s such a fucking shame they had to be targeted by lunatics. ---
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2016, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comet-pizza-incident/773955/5 "2016-12-05T22:38:24Z")
Can someone summarize the “evidence” that this pizza place is nefarious? I have a co-worker who, while otherwise normal, swears that there is smoke here, but I’m not going to google this and end up in some of the sites that I’m guessing this evidence is kept. All of the articles just refer to the Podesta emails, but don’t spell out how the hell this whole thing came to be. ---
**Author:** ![snoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/43a26b/32.png) [@snoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snoe)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2016, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comet-pizza-incident/773955/6 "2016-12-05T22:49:29Z")
> [@Fiveyearlurker](#): > > Can someone summarize the “evidence” that this pizza place is nefarious? I have a co-worker who, while otherwise normal, swears that there is smoke here, but I’m not going to google this and end up in some of the sites that I’m guessing this evidence is kept. > > All of the articles just refer to the Podesta emails, but don’t spell out how the hell this whole thing came to be. I think this Vox explainer does a decent job at laying out the background. May not be sufficient for a true believer, though. > **[Pizzagate, the totally false conspiracy theory that led a gunman to a DC...](https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2016/12/5/13842258/pizzagate-comet-ping-pong-fake-news)** > > How Pizzagate went from the musings of 4chan trolls to the cause for a gunman at Comet Ping Pong. Edit: see also BBC [The saga of 'Pizzagate': The fake story that shows how conspiracy theories spread - BBC News](http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-38156985) ---
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2016, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comet-pizza-incident/773955/7 "2016-12-05T22:51:46Z")
> [@snoe](#): > > I think this Vox explainer does a decent job at laying out the background. May not be sufficient for a true believer, though. > > [Pizzagate, the fake news conspiracy theory that led a gunman to DC’s Comet Ping Pong, explained | Vox](https://www.google.com/amp/www.vox.com/platform/amp/policy-and-politics/2016/12/5/13842258/pizzagate-comet-ping-pong-fake-news) I’m trying to figure out what this means: “As all of this spread, pro-Trump supporters went back to the Podesta emails published by WikiLeaks to find more “clues” for Pizzagate and other conspiracy theories. Without any evidence or cause, they quickly began to interpret basic food items as code words for this supposed sex ring. Through this new ridiculous “discovery,” Trump supporters on social media linked even more emails to Pizzagate, which grew from a conspiracy theory about a DC pizzeria to one about a fictitious international child sex ring.” ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2016, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comet-pizza-incident/773955/8 "2016-12-05T23:01:13Z")
I knew Hillarys illegal child sex ring was going to put people in danger. ---
**Author:** ![snoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/43a26b/32.png) [@snoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snoe)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2016, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comet-pizza-incident/773955/9 "2016-12-05T23:04:41Z")
> [@Fiveyearlurker](#): > > I’m trying to figure out what this means: > > “As all of this spread, pro-Trump supporters went back to the Podesta emails published by WikiLeaks to find more “clues” for Pizzagate and other conspiracy theories. Without any evidence or cause, they quickly began to interpret **basic food items as code words** for this supposed sex ring. Through this new ridiculous “discovery,” Trump supporters on social media linked even more emails to Pizzagate, which grew from a conspiracy theory about a DC pizzeria to one about a fictitious international child sex ring.” See this: [https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.washingtonpost.com/amphtml/news/the-intersect/wp/2016/11/04/no-john-podesta-didnt-drink-bodily-fluids-at-a-secret-satanist-dinner/?client=safari](https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.washingtonpost.com/amphtml/news/the-intersect/wp/2016/11/04/no-john-podesta-didnt-drink-bodily-fluids-at-a-secret-satanist-dinner/?client=safari) There was already an assumption that Podesta was engaging in Satanic rituals and referring to them using food-based code words. Edit: yes, seriously ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2016, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comet-pizza-incident/773955/10 "2016-12-05T23:04:49Z")
> [@Fiveyearlurker](#): > > Can someone summarize the “evidence” that this pizza place is nefarious? I have a co-worker who, while otherwise normal, swears that there is smoke here, but I’m not going to google this and end up in some of the sites that I’m guessing this evidence is kept. Evidence? Basically, a large number of Trump supporters are mentally unbalanced, ill-educated and have access to the internet. They post a bunch of idiotic stories, egg each other on, and then inspire one of their lesser lights to go shoot a place up. It’s Trump-land. Facts are unimportant now. Evidence is what you say it is. Ms. KellyAnne Conway has assured us of this. Random tweets from mouth breathing Trump supporters are to be given the same credence as peer-reviewed research papers now. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2016, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comet-pizza-incident/773955/11 "2016-12-05T23:05:17Z")
> [@Drunky\_Smurf](#): > > I knew Hillarys illegal child sex ring was going to put people in danger. Not even funny. People could have been killed over a ridiculous rumor that even a moron shouldn’t believe. And yet the next Security Adviser and his son are proven morons. ---
**Author:** ![steronz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steronz/32/11765_2.png) [@steronz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steronz)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2016, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comet-pizza-incident/773955/12 "2016-12-05T23:08:50Z")
> [@Fiveyearlurker](#): > > I’m trying to figure out what this means: > > “As all of this spread, pro-Trump supporters went back to the Podesta emails published by WikiLeaks to find more “clues” for Pizzagate and other conspiracy theories. Without any evidence or cause, they quickly began to interpret basic food items as code words for this supposed sex ring. Through this new ridiculous “discovery,” Trump supporters on social media linked even more emails to Pizzagate, which grew from a conspiracy theory about a DC pizzeria to one about a fictitious international child sex ring.” It’s almost literally like that “The Number 23” movie. Someone suggests that maybe Cheese Pizza = Child Porn, and then someone else says that on the deep web cheese pizza is a _well known_ code word for child porn, and once that “fact” is established people went back to the emails and found every reference to pizza; and then they found other words that were food related in proximity to the word pizza (shocker, right? People talking about food in the context of other foods); and then people went back through those emails and found every reference to those _other_ [very common] food words; and, well, with all of these references to pedophilia and child porn floating around, it _can’t_ be a coincidence, right? It’s bullshit stacked upon bullshit. ---
**Author:** ![snoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/43a26b/32.png) [@snoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snoe)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2016, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comet-pizza-incident/773955/13 "2016-12-05T23:12:42Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > Not even funny. People could have been killed over a ridiculous rumor that even a moron shouldn’t believe. And yet the next Security Adviser and his son are proven morons. I have to admit, I found DS’s comment funny at a dark level. But yes, I agree with what you said about the Flynns - this blog post lays it out well: [Republicans Need to Step Up and Get Gen. Michael Flynn Out of the White House – Mother Jones](http://m.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2016/12/republicans-need-step-and-get-gen-michael-flynn-out-white-house) ---
**Author:** ![buddha\_david](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2016, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comet-pizza-incident/773955/14 "2016-12-05T23:45:02Z")
> [@steronz](#): > > Someone suggests that maybe Cheese Pizza = Child Porn, and then someone else says that on the deep web cheese pizza is a _well known_ code word for child porn, and once that “fact” is established people went back to the emails and found every reference to pizza; and then they found other words that were food related in proximity to the word pizza (shocker, right? People talking about food in the context of other foods); and then people went back through those emails and found every reference to those _other_ [very common] food words; and, well, with all of these references to pedophilia and child porn floating around, it _can’t_ be a coincidence, right? That explains the weird delivery I got when I ordered a cheese pizza from Papa John’s yesterday. Good thing I didn’t order any anchovies. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2016, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comet-pizza-incident/773955/15 "2016-12-05T23:51:30Z")
> [@snoe](#): > > I have to admit, I found DS’s comment funny at a dark level. > > But yes, I agree with what you said about the Flynns - this blog post lays it out well: [Republicans Need to Step Up and Get Gen. Michael Flynn Out of the White House – Mother Jones](http://m.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2016/12/republicans-need-step-and-get-gen-michael-flynn-out-white-house) I appreciate dark humor but the very real chance of a tragedy is too real in this case. Now if the gunman had walked in, fired shots into the ceiling and was crushed by a falling chandelier, _that_ would be funny. ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2016, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comet-pizza-incident/773955/16 "2016-12-05T23:58:45Z")
> [@Larry\_Borgia](#): > > The owner is a really cool guy. The staff are all decent people too. It’s a great place to bring kids during the day–They have ping pong–and at night they put on shows by local bands. The food is really good. > > It’s such a fucking shame they had to be targeted by lunatics. I hope this guy has either seen or considered seeing his lawyer. If I were in his position, I would at the very least contemplate suing the short-docked losers responsible for originating and spreading this calumny for libel and defamation. Of course, finding out exactly who these people are would probably be rather difficult (maybe they can start by looking under a bridge). ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2016, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comet-pizza-incident/773955/17 "2016-12-06T00:36:57Z")
> [@NDP](#): > > I hope this guy has either seen or considered seeing his lawyer. If I were in his position, I would at the very least contemplate suing the short-docked losers responsible for originating and spreading this calumny for libel and defamation. Of course, finding out exactly who these people are would probably be rather difficult (maybe they can start by looking under a bridge). I hope you’re talking about the owner of the pizza place. There are known people involved with this and I think the case for malice may be clear. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2016, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comet-pizza-incident/773955/18 "2016-12-06T01:15:31Z")
While I would like nothing more than to sit back and point and laugh, this whole thing is just sad, on every possible level. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2016, 7:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comet-pizza-incident/773955/19 "2016-12-06T07:46:24Z")
> [@Drunky\_Smurf](#): > > I knew Hillarys illegal child sex ring was going to put people in danger. Dude, I get that you like to troll the lefties on the board and that’s often funny, but these are people I know and they are living through a nightmare, so I would appreciate it if you didn’t do that. Thanks in advance! ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2016, 8:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comet-pizza-incident/773955/20 "2016-12-06T08:52:23Z")
> [@NDP](#): > > I hope this guy has either seen or considered seeing his lawyer. If I were in his position, I would at the very least contemplate suing the short-docked losers responsible for originating and spreading this calumny for libel and defamation. Of course, finding out exactly who these people are would probably be rather difficult (maybe they can start by looking under a bridge). I don’t know about that. According to the OP, he went into this restaurant with a gun, ordered all the people out, looked around, and even shot the lock off a door. Now, how much do you want to bet that he still believes that Hillary is operating a child sex ring there? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comet-pizza-incident/773955.md?page=2)