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Two 13-year-old students in Broward County, Florida, were arrested for allegedly making separate threats against their schools on Snapchat before and during the first week of school.
What’s the deal: According to the Broward County Sheriff’s Department, a 13-year-old boy was arrested on August 10 after allegedly posting a photo on Snapchat with a written threat to commit a mass shooting at BCPS officers in Fort Lauderdale, driven by frustration over a new cellphone policy. Just days later, on August 15, a 13-year-old girl was also arrested for making threats against Cooper City High School on Snapchat. Both students were identified and taken into custody, facing felony charges for their actions.
What they’re being charged with: Both students are being charged with a felony count of making written threats to kill, do bodily injury, conduct a mass shooting, or commit an act of terrorism. In addition to these serious charges, each student also faces an additional felony charge for using a two-way communication device to facilitate the commission of these threats.
Warning from the Sheriff: During a news conference, Sheriff Gregory Tony said, “None of this stuff is a joking or laughing matter. If you threaten…on social media or anywhere else, we are going to track you down and arrest you. It’s unfortunate that this happens more times than not every school year. Do not allow your children to make a mistake and get a felony arrest on their record that they’re probably not going to get rid of.”
Detectives are also investigating two additional threats made by minors that will likely lead to additional arrests.