Riverside police arrest 3rd student this month for alleged school threats

Riverside police have arrested three students who attend local schools for allegedly making threats of violence via social media against fellow students and school staff members.

On Wednesday the Riverside Police School Resource officer assigned to Ramona High School arrested a 15-year-old female student, police said. Authorities also arrested a 13-year-old female student from Chemawa Middle School on Tuesday and a 15-year-old male student from Arlington High School on Sept. 10.

In the Ramona High School case, a student allegedly shared a photo of firearms and made statements suggesting violence against her classmates in an Instagram group comprised of other female students, police said. The photo was originally from a previous social media post that threatened school violence in another state.

The teen was arrested and booked into a Riverside County juvenile facility for criminal threats, police said. A search of her home determined she did not have access to guns.

Police asked people with information relevant to Ramona High School investigation to contact School Resource Officer David Zandate at DZandate@RiversideCA.gov or 951-353-7948.

The public should report social media or internet content threatening violence toward a specific school or individual to the Riverside Public Safety Communications Center nonemergency line, 951-354-2007. Nonspecific school threats in Riverside should be reported to the police department’s Atlas 1 mobile app utilizing the “Send a Message” feature. 

“In recent days, a wave of school violence threats has been circulating on social media across the country,” Riverside police said in a statement. “While many of these threats have proven unsubstantiated, some have led to the arrest of juveniles responsible for making them.”

On Tuesday police arrested a 13-year-old female student suspected of a threat targeting Chemawa Middle School. The alleged threat was made Sept. 13. Tips received last weekend led police to identify the student as the poster of the original threat on social media, followed by a second post listing names of targeted classmates. 

“This caused significant concern among parents, prompting many to withdraw their children early due to safety fears,” police said. 

Officers determined the girl did not have access to weapons after a search of her home, police said. She was arrested and booked into a Riverside County juvenile detention facility for making criminal threats against the school and other students.

“These recent disruptions to our schools must stop immediately so that our children can focus on their education,” Chief Larry Gonzalez said in a statement Tuesday. “Students who make threats of school violence on social media or by other means will face strict criminal consequences and severe disciplinary action, up to and including expulsion. We will not tolerate any behavior that undermines the safety and security of our schools.”

On Sept. 10 a 15-year-old male Arlington High School student was arrested for an alleged threatening social media post. Police searched the student’s residence and determined he did not have any access to any weapons. He was subsequently booked into a Riverside County juvenile detention facility for making criminal threats. 

Since the start of this school year in Riverside, police have initiated fourteen “S.T.A.R. Protocol” investigations in response to possible threats against schools, primarily via social media.

“Many of our S.T.A.R. Protocol investigations into school violence threats begin with social media posts, where the youth involved later claim they were only joking,” Gonzalez said in a Sept. 11 statement. “We treat every post suggesting school violence with utmost seriousness, regardless of intent. Disrupting the safe environment of our schools is no laughing matter and can result in severe consequences.”

People with information relevant to the Chemawa and Arlington school threat investigations can contact School Resource Officer Mike Cupido at MCupido@RiversideCA.gov or 951-353-7948. Anonymous tips can be submitted through the Riverside Police Department’s Atlas 1 mobile app using the “Send a Message” feature.

Parent guides to TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram, along with parental control tips for iPhones, iPads and Google Family Link are available at riversideunified.org/important_information/media_guidelines.