13-year-old Tulare County student accused of posting threats to social media arrested
An El Monte Middle School student, accused of sending threatening messages on social media to "shoot up" the school, was arrested on Friday.
On Friday, Tulare County deputies responded to the alleged threats made by the 13-year-old Cutler-Orosi student.
"This is an isolated incident and is not related to the recent social media threats on Tik Tok," a press release from the Tulare County Sheriff’s Department reads. "[Threats] will not be tolerated and those who make them will face serious consequences. They are not a joke, and they will not be treated like one."
The student's arrest follows a social media trend that has been reported throughout Tulare County.
On Friday, schools across the country were on high alert after a rumor on Tik Tok challenging students to call in bomb threats and school shooting threats quickly spread. That social media post did not originate in Tulare County and there have been no local or credible threats, detectives said.
Visalia Unified provided increased administrative support on its campuses Friday in addition to Visalia Police Department Youth Service Officers.
Tik Tok tweeted in response to the rumors:
"We handle even rumored threats with utmost seriousness, which is why we're working with law enforcement to look into warnings about potential violence at schools even though we have not found evidence of such threats originating or spreading via TikTok."
This year, the 'Devious Licks' Tik Tok trend challenged students to film themselves stealing items from campus.
To provide the Tulare County Sheriff’s Department with information regarding the alleged threat, call Detective Todd Bruce at 802-9474. To report possible threats of violence, call the department's Tip Now Line at 725-4194, or e-mail tcso@tipnow.com.
Lauren Jennings covers education and news for the Visalia Times-Delta/Tulare Advance-Register. Follow her on Twitter @lolojennings. Get alerts and keep up on all things Tulare County for as little as $1 a month. Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Visalia Times-Delta: 13-year-old student accused of posting threats to social media arrested
