School Shooting Threats Explode Across CA

CALIFORNIA — School shooting threats plaguing California schools and law enforcement over the last week are believed to be linked to a larger social media trend nationwide.

Across the nation, school shooting 'hit lists' have been circulating on TikTok, Snapchat, and Facebook, leading to police investigations, lockdowns and multiple arrests of students as young as 11-years-old. Over the last week, threats have been investigated across the Bay Area and in Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego and Riverside counties. None of the threats have been deemed credible thus far. However, the threats come on the heals of a high school shooting in Georgia that took four lives, raising fears of copycat shootings.

On Tuesday, police in Santa Ana, Los Angeles and Burbank all responded to school threats that were ultimately deemed hoaxes. Additionally, three youths in Northern California were arrested this week and one last week in connection with unrelated school threats.

In many of the cases, authorities are linking the threats to young students, leading to the arrests of elementary school-aged children.

A 12-year-old student was arrested on Sept. 10 for threatening messages, including a threat to commit a school shooting at a school in San Diego's South Bay, authorities said. In Northern California, the Petaluma Police Department arrested a 14-year-old boy for allegedly making threats against two local high schools. The Manteca Police Department arrested a 13-year-old girl for allegedly posting a threat on Instagram targeting students by name at an elementary school and a high school, FOX40 in Sacramento reported. On Monday, a middle-schooler and a high school student in Modesto and a 15-year-old boy in Lodi were arrested in connection with unrelated school threats, FOX40 reported.

SEE ALSO: Boy Arrested For School Threats In Bay Area: Police

In the San Diego County case, the Chula Vista Police Department's School Resource Officer Unit received a report Monday of a school shooting threat that was sent via text to a 12-year-old student at Bonita Vista Middle School in Chula Vista.

SEE ALSO: 12-Year-Old Student Arrested For School Shooting Threat: Police

The threatening messages "caused fear on multiple school campuses and the absence of many concerned students," Sgt. Anthony Molina said in a news release.

The text was sent Saturday and reported on Monday. Although school resource officers did not believe the threat was credible, they implemented safety precautions at the campus and launched an investigation.

In Los Angeles Tuesday, a person shared with a school employee a screenshot of a shooting threat involving a charter elementary school in the 2700 block of 15th Street, said Los Angeles Police Department Officer David Cuellar. Police investigated and determined the threat not to be credible, he said. One giveaway was that threat specified an attack set for Sept. 32, he added.

In response to the increase in threats, the LAPD has increased its uniformed presence and monitoring of social media.

The Los Angeles Unified School District, the state's largest, has investigated multiple threats in recent weeks.

"The Los Angeles School Police Department is aware of the social media threats to schools that are circulating regionally and nationally," a Los Angeles School Police Department spokesperson told Patch. "LASPD and partnering law enforcement agencies have determined there is no evidence of a credible threat. LASPD will continue to investigate threats as they are reported. We are communicating and collaborating with school and District leadership as well as our local and federal law enforcement partners."

Police in Riverside are urging parents to talk to their children about what to do when they see threats of school violence on social media — namely report the threat to a trusted adult or school and police authorities without forwarding the threat to other students, said Riverside Police Department Officer Ryan Railsback.

"We are aware of these posts, some of which are recirculating from earlier this week, some newer, and others that are actually from out of state," he said. "This has been occurring nationwide - not just here in Riverside County. "

In fact, young children have been arrested in connection with social media shooting threats across several states this week. A sheriff in Florida's Volusia County released a mug shot and a 'perp walk' video of an 11-year-old charged with a felony for allegedly making a written threat of a mass shooting this week, NBC News reported.

Just days before, he warned parents he would start publicizing the arrests of students who make shooting threats.

"Since parents, you don't want to raise your kids, I'm gonna start raising them," Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood said at a news conference Friday. "Every time we make an arrest, your kids' photo is going to be put out there and if I can do it, I'm gonna perp walk your kid so that everybody can see what your kid's up to."

In Riverside County, police took a softer approach.

"We kindly ask that you talk with your kids about their own use of social media and to not share any concerning or threatening post unles you're sharing it with a trusted adult, a school official, or law enforcement," Railsback said in a video posted to the police department's Facebook page.

Some school districts even have an app for reporting school threats to authorities.

"As a friendly reminder, the Los Angeles Schools Anonymous Reporting (LASAR) mobile app is designed to report non-emergency incidents anonymously," a Los Angeles Schools Police Department spokesperson told Patch. "It is available for free download in the Apple and Android app stores. We encourage our school community to follow the District’s message: if you see something, say something."

Patch Staffers Kristina Houck and Maggie Fusek contributed to this report.