Police arrested a 12-year-old Bonita Vista Middle School student Tuesday following a text message with a threat to carry out a campus shooting.
The suspect, whose identity was withheld due to being a minor, was taken into custody shortly after 11 a.m. and later released to parental custody, according to the Chula Vista Police Department.
The charges include criminal threats and filing a false police report.
The menacing statement, thought to have been sent to another student via text on Saturday, was reported to school officials and police on Monday, according to police. It was determined, however, that the original threatening text was created by the student who initially reported the incident.
“Based on the circumstances and additional context in the message string, school resource officers on campus did not believe the threat was credible,” according to a news release from Chula Vista police. “However, they worked with school staff to immediately enact safety precautions and begin their investigation.”
By early Tuesday, though, work had spread via social media, causing fear on multiple campuses and the departures of many concerned students at two of them.
The social media posts sparked panic over a possible “active shooter” at Rancho Del Rey Middle School, another Sweetwater Union High School District campus, police said.
The initial threatening message, featured in screenshots, police said, had been posted or forwarded to students at various Chula Vista schools, including Rancho Del Rey Middle and Discovery Charter Elementary/Middle School in Chula Vista, sparking a “rapid departure of numerous students.”
“School resource officers, who were already on campus during the normal course of their duties, immediately confirmed there was no active shooter or other danger to students and staff,” according to the statement. “They also learned the `active shooter’ concern stemmed from the original threat received … over the weekend.”
City News Service contributed to this report.
