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Student charged with making threats against Joliet West High School on social media

Teen arrested over threat against Joliet West High School on Snapchat
Teen arrested over threat against Joliet West High School on Snapchat 00:25

JOLIET, Ill. (CBS) – A 15-year-old boy was arrested and charged with making threats towards his school in a social media post on Tuesday.

The teen was taken to the River Valley Justice Center, where he was charged with aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, defacing identification marks on a firearm, unlawful possession of ammunition, and disorderly conduct.

Joliet police said around 11:40 p.m. on Tuesday, the department was notified of a possible threat about Joliet West High School. 

An investigation revealed the threat was made on a Snapchat group used for students who are freshmen at the school. A photo of two guns was posted in that chat.

Upon learning of the photo, a detective assigned as a school liaison notified school administrators and security. Additional police officers were present as students arrived Wednesday morning.

Detectives arrived at the student's home, in the 400 block of South Des Plaines Street, where he was arrested without incident.

During a search of the student's bedroom, detectives found two loaded handguns, the same ones posted in the Snapchat post, with the serial numbers defaced.

No further information was available. 

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