Student posted video of himself on Snapchat racking a gun and making threats, cops say
A 17-year-old West Broward High School student was arrested Monday after police say he posted a threatening video of himself racking a handgun on Snapchat.
According to police, school administration officials alerted the school’s resource officers Monday of the threat and the officers immediately made contact with unidentified student.
The officers learned that the student posted a video of himself at Nexus Gun Range in Davie “racking a semi-automatic handgun, with the text ‘Me if U don’t vote for me for Senioritis.’”
The student, according to police, told officers that he posted the video and message, but “did not intend to act upon the threat.”
The teen, who did not have a gun, was arrested and charged with a second-degree felony for making a false report concerning the use of a firearm in a violent manner.
Following the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland in February, Florida lawmakers put into place rules dealing with threats made on social media. Anybody who makes threats that suggest they’re engaging in a mass shooting or terror act will face a second-degree felony charge, according to the new law.
In recent months, several Pembroke Pines students have faced similar charges after making threats. In September and October, four students in Pembroke Pines were arrested for making threats to their school including a 13-year-old who threatened that he would “shoot up” Pembroke Pines Middle School.
Pembroke Pines police ask for parents to get involved.
“Please educate your children on the seriousness of these crimes, and help us prevent incidents like this from occurring in the future,” the department said in a news release Monday. “All threats made against our schools will be taken seriously, and will be swiftly investigated by our department. These are severe offenses, and any individual determined to have committed such acts will be charged accordingly.”
This story was originally published January 14, 2019 at 6:46 PM.
