Teen arrested for threatening school violence in Corona
A teenage boy is in custody Friday on suspicion of posting threats of violence directed at his Corona middle school.
The 14-year-old was taken into custody at his home Wednesday in the 100 block of North Buena Vista Avenue by school resource officers assigned to area high schools after a student at Auburndale Intermediate School reported receiving a threat on social media regarding a possible attack at the school on Thursday, said Cpl. Tobias Kouroubacalis, a police department spokesman.
Kouroubacalis said the boy’s parents were cooperative and no weapons were found at the home. The teen was taken to the Riverside County Juvenile Hall.
The suspect was identified with the help of school staff, police said.
The Corona Police Department was initially notified of a possible threat at the intermediate school on Wednesday and dispatched officers to investigate the threat but were unable to identify who circulated it.
Police determined because there were police officers at the school on Wednesday, the purported attack was shifted to Thursday, Kouroubacalis said.
Kouroubacalis said the student who allegedly made the threats acted alone.
The arrest comes at a time when police departments and school districts have been on high alert because of a series of threats of violent attacks at school campuses nationwide this week circulated on the social media site TikTok. But some indicated that they did not find the posts very credible.
According to the Los Angeles Unified School District, “while there is no reason to believe our schools are in any danger, please know we take all such threats very seriously and take any action necessary to ensure the continued safety of our school communities.”
The FBI’s Los Angeles office said it is not aware of any known credible threats to schools in the region Friday after posts on social media indicate shootings and bombings will take place at campuses across the nation.
And a Los Angeles Police Department detective told ABC7 Thursday the department was unaware of any specific local threats.
Anyone with additional information regarding the Corona investigation is asked to contact Sgt. John Healy at john.healy@CoronaCa.gov or at 951-817- 5785.