Two teenagers arrested after making violent online threats to Riverside County middle schools

Law enforcement officials arrested a 13-year-old boy after receiving several reports about a threat made online to Mountain View Middle School in Moreno Valley, a post authorities say was accompanied by a photo of weapons. 

The boy was taken into custody at Riverside Juvenile Hall after the Moreno Valley Sheriff's Station received multiple calls from concerned parents and students about the post just after 5 p.m. Sunday. In a statement, the Riverside County Sheriff's Department described the post as a "school violence threat" and said the photo was determined to be an image pulled from the internet.

School resources deputies identified the 13-year-old as the person suspected of being behind the account that made the post. He was arrested on suspicion of making criminal threats and threatening employees at the school, according to the department. 

Yolanda Coronel said her daughter, who attends the school, saw the post in a text message and then told her about it. 

"We got scared," Coronel said. "We messaged the counselor and the teachers here. And then, in the morning, they responded quickly, and they told us everything was fine and that they were going to have people here. And there was a lot of cops."

Additional deputies were sent to the campus Monday to patrol the grounds, authorities said, and the post appears to be an isolated incident. Investigators believe the boy acted on his own, according to the sheriff's department.

In a statement, sheriff's officials thanked parents and students who came forward and encouraged them to do so in the future.

"We take these incidents very seriously and the safety and security of our schools remains a top priority," the department said in a statement. "We applaud those who came forward with the information and encourage students and parents to communicate when they see or hear a threat."

No other details have been released by authorities, including the identity of the suspect as he is underage. 

Just down the 215 Freeway in Murrieta, another 13-year-old boy was arrested in a remarkably similar incident. 

The student, who hasn't been identified due to his age, was arrested over the weekend after investigators with the Murrieta Police Department learned of criminal threats being made towards Warm Spring Middle School on Instagram, according to a statement from the department. 

"An Instagram user had made threats towards the school and tagged the school's Instagram page with the posts," their statement said. 

Both School Resource Officers and Murrieta police investigated the threats and were able to quickly identify the suspect as a former student of the school. They served a search warrant at his home, and placed him under arrest. Officers also seized four firearms from the home that belonged to a family member. 

He was booked at Riverside County Southwest Juvenile Hall for making the threats, investigators said. 

"We take the safety and security of our school with the utmost seriousness and are satisfied that this threat has been resolved," the statement said, noting officers' plans to stay vigilant during the upcoming week.