2 Teens Arrested in Threat to 'Blow Up and Shoot Up' Lincoln-Way East

Two 15-year-old Lincoln-Way East students were taken into custody Wednesday afternoon in connection with a threat to “blow up and shoot up” Lincoln-Way East, according to the Will County Sheriff’s office.

The teens were taken into custody at the school and brought to the sheriff’s department for questioning. They each made statements that their threats, posted to an online chat group, were designed to get a fellow student, a 15-year-old sophomore, into trouble. Investigators suspect the accused used the teen’s identity and IP address to place the threat.

The boys face felony disorderly conduct charges. Further charges are pending. The juveniles will be brought to the River Valley Juvenile Justice Center in Joliet where they will appear in court Thursday.

Additional security was on scene at the school after the threat was made via social media Tuesday evening.

The 15-year-old male sophomore previously linked to the message is believed to have been set up. Will County Sheriff’s detectives and FBI personnel searched the student’s home Tuesday, and no firearms or explosives were found, said Sheriff’s Office Spokesperson Kathy Hoffmeyer in a release.

“At this time it appears that this incident may be a hoax, in that it looks as if the possible offender was not the originator, nor the sender, of the threatening message,” according to the release. “Investigators remain diligent in locating the IP address of the sender.”

An investigation also revealed a link that shows the logo of a Chicago TV news station alongside fabricated content purporting that a shooting had taken place at the school, including a photo of an ambulance with the fake headline “10 killed at Frankfort High School.” The social media account used to share that content was determined to be fake.

Police searched the school and “nothing of an evidentiary nature was found.” Authorities determined it would be safe for students to attend classes Wednesday.

“We’re taking some additional measures, certainly,” Superintendent Scott Tingley told Patch. “Working with law enforcement officials, they said it would be safe to have school.”

Supplementary sheriff’s police and Frankfort police officers are stationed at the school, Tingley said.

Heightened security will continue at the school until the situation is resolved.