17-Year-Old Boy Arrested For Allegedly Threatening School Shooting On Social Media

A 17-year-old boy, who studies at the Heritage High School in Menifee, California, was arrested after he allegedly threatened a school shooting on social media.

According to a statement from the Menifee Police Department, the teenager, who was not named, allegedly sent messages on social media that he planned to shoot "up a school" and "kids." Police said that the threats did not mention a specific school, reported ABC News.

Police shared that the student was in possession of a "ghost gun." It is a privately manufactured firearm that is untraceable. It is typically created by assembling pieces. They are either sold together in a kit or separately. Then the pieces are put together to create a fully functioning firearm. The kits can often be bought without a background check and do no have serial numbers. So they are accessible to people who are legally prohibited from purchasing firearms, including minors, said the police department.

According to the police statement, detectives who obtained a search warrant for the boy's home encountered him while he was returning home just before 2 p.m. Sunday and found the gun. Cops are trying to find out how the boy got the gun. ABC7 reported that during the investigation, police said that detectives found out that the boy had been harassing students too.

The teenager was booked into the Riverside County Juvenile Hall on several charges. They included making criminal threats, possession of an unregistered firearm and possession of brass knuckles.

Police said that the Perris Union School District was immediately notified. The police department said in a statement that all threats, whether they are specific, implied or otherwise, that "cause fear in our community will not be tolerated." The statement further read that the department is committed to using all available resources to ensure that they hold the people responsible for such threats "accountable for their actions." According to the statement, such threats are "disruptive to our school sites and require many hours of law enforcement investigation."

Heritage High School issued a statement Sunday saying that while there was no threat specific to the school, they "wanted to be sure our school community was aware of this incident." In the statement, the school urged parents and guardians to take the time to talk with "your students about the appropriate use of social media." It said that all threats of violence are taken seriously and the school will continue to "work diligently with our law enforcement partners to pursue any person of interest," reported 4.