Police in D.C. arrested a teenage boy Friday after they said he posted threats on social media directed at area schools.
The post, uploaded on social media platform Instagram, displayed “images of weapons” alongside a list of D.C. schools. Police were alerted of the post on Thursdays evening and increased its presence at schools throughout the District.
Following its investigation, police arrested a 15-year-old boy from Brandywine, Maryland, and charged him with threats to kidnap or injure a person.
According to police, the teenager found the image online and “recirculated” it after editing the text with the names of schools in the District. The boy did not have a firearm at the time of his arrest.
No incidents were reported. Police did not share the names of the schools named in the threat.
Threats on schools have increased since a shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, on Sept. 4 that left two teachers and two students dead.
Online threats in Maryland, Virginia, too
Authorities throughout the D.C. region report seeing more online threats aimed at schools.
On Friday, in Baltimore County, a 15-year-old student from Lansdowne High School was arrested after police said he posted threats on social media and made additional threats against the school over the phone. He was charged with disruption to school activities and making threats to the school, staff and students.
Meanwhile, in Harrisonburg, Virginia, police arrested a 16-year-old student after officers were alerted to an apparent threat to “shoot up” Harrisonburg High School with detailed plans on how it would be carried out.
A similar threat, which police believe began in Kansas City, Missouri, circulated on social media and was spotted by students in Prince Georges County, Maryland. The post included a close-up image of a handgun and warned area school, including Central and Crossland high schools, of an possible an event on Wednesday.
Authorities in Prince George’s County told WTOP that they are seeing students repost the threats, and ask for families — regardless of where they live — to speak to their child on how to handle threats posted on social media.
“Anytime there’s a horrendous incident like the one we had in Georgia, historically, we start seeing school threats go up after that,” said Snyder. “So, parents should talk to their kids about that. And the key thing now is: When they see this stuff, tell the school administrator, contact the police — but don’t repost, because that creates kind of panic and havoc.”
WTOP’s John Domen contributed to this story.
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