Huge Crowd to Visit Comet Ping Pong on Friday

WASHINGTON, DC — It's be a frightening few weeks for popular Northwest D.C. pizza joint Comet Ping Pong, which has become the target of harassment, death threats and even a man armed with a gun after being falsely implicated in a hoax involving Hillary Clinton and her staffers.

The PizzaGate hoax -- a ludicrous conspiracy that alleges Hillary Clinton and her subordinates use the pizza joint for a secret child trafficking ring -- reached a frightening zenith on Sunday when an armed North Carolina man entered the restaurant to "self-investigate" the allegations, firing off a shot before police arrested him without incident. Even before that incident, the restaurant's employees and owner, James Alefantis, were targeted with harassment and threats over the rumors.

Now, a Facebook group called "Stand with Comet" is getting people together to pay a visit this week to the embattled pizzeria as a show of support. A total of more than 1,500 people have indicated they are going as of Tuesday afternoon.

"So go eat at Comet Ping Pong this Friday, December 9th (open 11:30 AM - 10:45 PM)," the group's Facebook page states. "Thank the staff for being a part of our community. Tell them you have their back. Tip well. Post your support on social media with the hashtag #StandWithComet. And please promote this event beforehand far and wide -- share it on Facebook, post about it on Twitter, tell your friends about it, post it on your neighborhood listserv, or write a story about it, because it all helps."

Locals have been leaving flowers and signs of support in front of the business, and a WUSA 9 reporter tweeted out a picture of supporters standing outside the restaurant.

Supporters of #CometPingPong standing outside #pizzagate @wusa9 pic.twitter.com/7mHrU88krB
— Nikki Burdine (@NikkiBurdine) December 5, 2016

Even in rain, ppl stopping by Comet Ping Pong to bring tokens of support after man w gun walked in. It reopens 2night. We're live at 5&6 pic.twitter.com/iXa9SjyZWj
— Meagan Fitzgerald (@MeaganNBCDC) December 6, 2016

Image via Flickr user Elizabeth Murphy