San Diego Pride to increase security at festival

SAN DIEGO  — In the wake of the massacre at an Orlando gay nightclub, San Diego Pride festival-goers this year will walk through metal detectors at the entrances, organizers announced.

“We want you to be safe and feel safe while you’re having fun,” organizers of the annual LBGT festival said Thursday on Facebook.

Other measures include more entry lanes to avoid long lines, a San Diego police mobile command center on site and “other undisclosed precautions,” organizers said.

“While the tragedy in Orlando has weighed heavily on our community, it has also demonstrated our strength, resolve and compassion. In its wake, we are preparing for the biggest, most meaningful Pride San Diego has ever seen,” the Facebook post read.

Authorities investigated last week a post on Craigslist that referenced the Orlando shooting and warned, “San Diego you are next.” San Diego police Chief Shelly Zimmerman said in a statement there were no known credible threats to San Diego.

Omar Mateen, who authorities say pledged allegiance to the Islamic State, opened fire at Orlando’s Pulse nightclub on June 12, killing 49 people and inuring 53 others. He was killed in a shootout with police.

San Diego Pride will be held July 16 and July 17 at Balboa Park’s Marston Point.