Florida police have apprehended a high school student following the emergence of a video in which he threatened to open fire at a school.
The Sanford Police Department reported receiving an anonymous tip on Saturday concerning “a video of an unknown male threatening to shoot up Seminole High School.”
“The video depicted the subject with multiple guns, vests, and other items of concern,” police stated in a release on Sunday.
Sanford police and other law enforcement agencies worked to identify the individual in the video, which led to the arrest of a 17-year-old the following day.
Police confirmed that the 17-year-old is a student at Elevation High School, also located in Sanford. He was taken into custody at his residence without incident.
He faces charges of Intimidation Written/Electronic Threat of Mass Shooting/Terrorism Act.
It remains unknown whether he has legal representation.
Sanford Police Chief Cecil Smith credited the “swift identification and arrest” of the teen to “the immediate collaboration and dedication of multiple local and federal agencies and organizations,” stating, “this fast action and team work most likely prevented a tragedy and saved multiple lives.”
Police shared a photo of items seized from the teenager’s home, describing them as “extremely realistic Airsoft replicas.” It is unclear if these are the same weapons featured in the video.
Serita Beamon, Superintendent of Seminole County Public Schools, expressed gratitude that the potential threat was taken seriously and acted upon.
“I am so thankful for the collaborative work and relentless dedication of all the agencies involved in bringing this incident to a conclusion. The safety of our students and staff is our highest priority, and we will continue to take any potential threat seriously, and act quickly,” she was quoted as saying in the police statement.
Less than a month prior, an Indiana teen was accused of plotting a Valentine’s Day school shooting inspired by the 2018 massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
That threat was also initially flagged by an anonymous tip – a call to the Sandy Hook tip line – which led authorities to online messages in which the 18-year-old suspect allegedly described planning “Parkland part two” for “a year,” according to authorities. The FBI traced the IP address associated with the messages to the teen suspect.
As of February 7 this year, four school shootings have occurred in the US, according to CNN’s analysis of data from the Gun Violence Archive, Education Week, and Everytown for Gun Safety. Two occurred on K-12 school grounds, and two on college campuses. The shootings resulted in one fatality and at least five injuries.
