BLACKWELL, Okla. – A 16-year-old has been taken into police custody after they said he posted a threat through Snapchat against an Oklahoma high school.
The Blackwell Police Department said a report of the possibly threatening message was received around 9:20 p.m. on Tuesday. The picture was of an AR-15 style rifle with the caption: “Don’t come to school tomorrow.”
According to police, they identified and found the teenager behind the message – a student at Blackwell High School. He was arrested less than an hour later, at about 10:10 p.m. that day.
The 16-year-old admitted to making the post, saying he deleted it after a few minutes. Police said he got the picture from the internet and did actually not have the rifle.
According to Blackwell police, the teenager is expected to be charged with terrorism hoax. They said hoaxes are increasing in number, taken very seriously by the department and have lasting consequences:
“In the aftermath of recent tragic school shootings, there has been an increase in the number of hoax threats to schools and public locations around the country,” police said. “There are serious consequences that go along with making these types of threats, they’re not funny and the Blackwell Police Department is going to take them very seriously. With a thoughtless remark on social media, young people risk starting out their adult lives in prison and forever being labeled a felon. The Blackwell Police Department would like to remind everyone to always think before you post.”
