Boy, 14, Threatened To Blow Up Clearwater Classroom: Police

CLEARWATER, FL — An eighth-grade student was arrested and charged Thursday after police said he threatened to blow up a classroom at a Clearwater middle school.

According to Clearwater police, the 14-year-old boy made the threat Wednesday during an enrichment class at Oak Grove Middle School. Several students then reported the threat to school officials and a school resource officer, police said.

According to police, when another student asked the boy if he cared about killing his friends, the boy said he loved his friends, but they would all die with everyone else.

Police said the student admitted to making the threat but told officers he was only joking.

Police found no device at the school, authorities said.

The student was charged with threatening to discharge a destructive device and taken to the Pinellas County Juvenile Assessment Center, police said.

"Clearwater Police want to remind students that school threats are no joke. Making a threat — even if supposedly in jest — can lead to criminal charges," authorities said in a statement.