Teenager arrested for alleged online threats against 12 Valley schools

PHOENIX – A teenager has been arrested for allegedly threatening a dozen schools in the Valley.

Phoenix police officials said they were alerted by social media to the threat of a mass shooting involving 12 schools in the Valley on September 12.

That day, police responded to the affected schools and reported that all students and staff were safe.

Detectives began investigating the incidents and were able to identify a teenager who made the threat.

On Thursday, the boy was arrested and interrogated.

The teenager reportedly admitted his involvement and said the threat was “made after a dare from his peers.”

Because he is a minor, his name has not been released. He was sent to the juvenile detention center for several crimes, including terrorist threats and computer tampering.

According to Phoenix police, about 6,000 students were absent from the affected schools in the days following the threat.

Several other school districts across Arizona have recently experienced online threats to classes.

On Friday, Prescott Valley police arrested a juvenile for threatening Liberty Traditional School. Police said the investigation found there was no actual threat to students or staff.

On Thursday, Mesa police reported six incidents at East Valley schools in the past seven days.

Phoenix Police Department officials issued the following report regarding online threats:

As a reminder to anyone involved in these types of scenarios, if you encounter a threat of any kind, please report it to the police and, in these cases, school personnel. Do not repost the threat on a social media platform. Reposting these threats complicates the entirety of a criminal investigation and can result in misinformation being spread on social media. When authorities are contacted, school administration and law enforcement work hand in hand to ensure the safety of those involved and to begin investigations into the threats. School personnel will contact parents with information regarding the threat and anything parents and students need to know. These are the moments when parents and their students should talk about the importance of reporting these circumstances and not spreading the threat.