Arrest made in latest threats against Broward schools
FORT LAUDERDALE - The Broward County Public Schools district announced that an arrest has been made concerning recent school threats.
The district sent an email to parents Saturday afternoon about social media threats.
"The district is aware of a social media post threatening several of our schools and is working closely with local law enforcement to determine the credibility of the threat and taking steps to identify those responsible," according to the statement.
The Broward Sheriff's Office said the threats were made to different schools in different parts of the county and multiple law enforcement agencies were involved in the investigation.
On Sunday morning, the school district released a statement that said that an arrest had been made.
"A social media threat posted this weekend against specific Broward County Public Schools has been neutralized. After working with the Broward Sheriff's Office (BSO) and other local law enforcement agencies, an arrest was made in connection with the threats posted on Saturday, September 7, 2024," according to the statement.
"Broward County Schools Police, BSO and local law enforcement agencies took swift action and identified the author of the threat within hours. At this time, there is no safety concern to any of our campuses regarding this post," the statement added.
According to the sheriff's office, a 14-year-old high school student was arrested Saturday evening and charged with making written threats to kill or conduct a mass shooting.
According to sheriff's investigators, the student made multiple posts on Instagram on Saturday afternoon that contained threats. They said one post listed several schools across the county that would be targeted with violence. Other posts contained additional threats of a school shooting or other violence, according to the sheriff's office.
In Florida, a threat made against a school is a second-degree felony. Students also face school disciplinary measures, including expulsion.