Teen Arrested For Threatening To 'Shoot Up' Snohomish County School

LYNNWOOD, WA - A 15-year-old was arrested Wednesday night after he allegedly threatened to commit a school shooting - although he told police the threat was a joke.

The Lynnwood High School freshman was overheard saying, "I'm going to shoot up the school tomorrow" and "I have a gun in my bag," according to the Snohomish County Sheriff's Office.

When police confronted the teen, he first denied making the statements, and then said that he was just joking. No one saw a gun, police said, but the comments were enough to cause anxiety among students. He was booked into the Denny Juvenile Justice Center on suspicion of felony harassment.

In early January, a Mountlake Terrace High School student was emergency expelled after he posted a photo of bullets on Instagram with the caption "be prepared," district officials said. Principal Greg Schwab began receiving complaints about the post and decided to call police to alert them.

The district emergency-expelled the student because of the disruption the post caused and the need to get him off campus. The student told police that he did not intend the post to be a threat; he said that he just liked the image.

Image via Creative Commons