HERNANDO COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) — Deputies arrested a Springstead High School student after he admitted to posting a hoax shooting threat to Snapchat, the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office said.
Deputies said the 16-year-old student posted a picture of an “assault type rifle” lying on a bed with the caption, “Yo bruh bouta run it up at central.”
Deputies said the boy is referencing Central High School in Brooksville.
Deputies received a call Sunday morning from the FBI’s Tampa branch alerting them of the apparent online threat and the identity of the user. An FBI Violent Crimes Supervisor told the sheriff’s office it was posted during the previous school week.
Deputies responded to Central High School Sunday morning and found no suspicious people or activities. They then went to the teen’s house.
The sheriff’s office said the teen admitted to posting the picture, saying he thought it would be funny.
After a search of the house, deputies determined the “assault type rifle” was actually an airsoft gun. It was collected and placed into evidence.
“Every threat made on a school, no matter what media it comes through, is taken as actual,” Sheriff Al Nienhuis said. “It takes a tremendous amount of
resources to react to each of these threats and to investigate the source of
the threat.”
The teen was arrested and transported to the Department of Juvenile Justice in Ocala.
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