Following the tragic Wednesday morning shooting at Mansfield Timberview High School in Arlington, police said they have arrested a South Grand Prairie High School student for allegedly making threats against the school on social media.
The student, who has not been identified, was arrested on Wednesday afternoon for allegedly circulating a video on social media that appeared to be threatening the school campus.
Daniel Scesney, the Grand Prairie police chief, said teams of officers were diverted from where they were searching for the suspect involved in Mansfield Timberview High School shooting to respond to these threats and execute the arrest.
Scesney advised parents to go through their children’s social media to ensure that they are not posting or sharing any messages that can be interpreted as a threat. He made it clear to parents that if their children were putting out threats, the children would be arrested and prosecuted.
Arlington assistant police chief Kevin Kolbye also revealed that officers were checking comments posted on social media, which could indicate potential threats to schools in North Texas. Kolbye noted that the various law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, could press charges against those found to be making such threats.
“I want the message to be out there that this is not something to continue. We will investigate you,” Kolbye said.
Kolbye also added that the federal government law enforcement agencies will be available to support investigations into threatening language from people inside and outside their city. He said, “The federal government partners will also be able to investigate you if you’re not living in our city and will bring you to a successful prosecution.”
