FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Broward Sheriff’s Office deputies announced Wednesday that they have arrested nine Broward County Public Schools students over threats of violence in the last five weeks.
Seven of the nine arrests were just in the last few weeks and most of them involved social media. Three were children ages 11 to 12. Here is how BSO described their cases:
An 11-year-old boy reported a false bomb threat on Sept. 4 at Somerset Academy Key Middle/High School in Deerfield Beach. An 11-year-old boy used Instagram to post a threat on Sunday against Central Charter School in Lauderdale Lakes.
A 12-year-old girl in Lauderhill confessed to threatening schools in Lauderdale Lakes, Lauderhill, Fort Lauderdale and Sunrise as a joke on Tuesday.
The other six students arrested for threats were teenagers ages 13 to 15 and half of them allegedly used Snapchat. Here is how BSO described their cases.
Three were 13 years old: A boy used Snapchat to post a threat on Aug. 10 against BCPS offices in Fort Lauderdale because he was upset over the new student cellphone policy.
The first day of school was Aug. 12. A girl used Snapchat to post a threat on Aug. 15 against Cooper City High School that was intended as a joke.
A girl in Parkland used TikTok to post a threat on Tuesday against North Broward Preparatory School in response to a dare.
A 14-year-old boy used Snapchat to post “Im shooting this school up” on Friday referring to Blanche Ely High School. A 14-year-old girl from Lauderdale Lakes used Instagram to post threats on Saturday against several schools that were intended as a joke.
A 15-year-old student confessed to using WhatsApp to threaten to shoot a Cooper City High School classmate on Sunday.
THE CHARGES
The seven students arrested on Aug. 10, Aug. 15, Friday, Sunday, and Tuesday faced charges of written threats to kill and using a two-way communication device to facilitate a felony.
The boy arrested on Sept. 4 faces one count of false reporting of a bomb, explosive or weapon of mass destruction.
The teenage girl arrested on Saturday faces charges of making written threats to kill or conduct a mass shooting; threat to throw, project, place or discharge any destructive device; and unlawful use of a two-way communication device.