VSO: Man who made threats to law enforcement & NASCAR arrested day before the Daytona 500; AR-15 rifle seized

Photo for Headline Surfer / Adrian Morales, 50, of Daytona Beach, was being held without bail at the Volusia County Branch Jail on charges of making threats to law enforcement following his arrest on Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026.

By HENRY FREDERICK / Headline Surfer

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- A Daytona Beach man is in custody after sending messages, including video of gunshots, threatening: "This is what's in store," allegedly to law enforcement agencies and previously to a NASCAR executive, the VSO said.

The Volusia Sheriff's Office Domestic Security Unit tracked down 50-year-old Adrian Morales at the Icon One Daytona apartments directly across from Daytona International Speedway on Saturday. He was taken into custody without incident the day before the Daytona 500 race. Morales' proximity to the Speedway was concerning, given past grievances and aggressive messages he left for a NASCAR executive, the VSO said.

The Volusia Sheriff's Office Domestic Security Unit tracked down 50-year-old Adrian Morales at the Icon One Daytona apartments directly across from Daytona International Speedway on Saturday. He was taken into custody without incident the day before the Daytona 500 race. Morales' proximity to the Speedway was concerning, given past grievances and aggressive messages he left for a NASCAR executive, the VSO said.

The new threats in this video were directed at someone else, but also referenced grievances with the Sheriff's Office, DEA, and FBI, a VSO agency spokesperson said.

Morales' pattern of increasingly erratic behavior created urgency for law enforcement intervention, the VSO added.

After he was taken into custody, detectives recovered the AR-15 used in the video, along with several rounds of ammunition, from Morales' vehicle in the Icon One Daytona parking lot.

A judge subsequently ordered him held at the Volusia County Branch Jail with no bond.

Multimedia

Headline Surfer download / Volusia Sheriff's Office video / Thursday, Feb. 19, 2025 / Details on threats allegedly made by Daytona Beach resident Adrian Morales, who live across Daytona Intertnational Speeday in Daytona Beach, Florida. 
Henry Frederick press card / Headline SurferAbout the Byline Writer: 
Henry Frederick is an award-winning journalist who launched Headline Surfer in 2008. The site serves the greater Daytona Beach, Sanford, and Orlando areas along the I-4 corridor and beyond via HeadlineSurfer.com in Lake Mary, Florida. Frederick earned his Master of Arts in New Media Journalism from Full Sail University in Orlando in 2019. He was a breaking news reporter (metro cops & courts beat) for the Daytona Beach News-Journal for nearly a decade, and before that, the same beat with The Journal-News/Gannett Suburban Newspapers in Rockland/Westchester counties, NY, dating back to 1989. He's also worked as a city editor and city hall reporter for two dailies. Having witnessed the execution of serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Florida's death chamber and covering other high-profile cases, Frederick has appeared on national crime documentary shows on Discovery ID, Reelz & the Oxygen Network series "Snapped" for his analysis. Assisting Henry Frederick with Headline Surfer is Sera King, who writes about the weather and feature stories, takes photos, shoots video, and occasionally draws editorial cartoons. •  Bio: https://henryfrederick.com/.