A 14-year-old student at Treasure Coast High School is being investigated after authorities discovered a threatening social media post.
“I dare anyone to come to school Tuesday,” the student, who has neither been identified nor arrested, posted with a photo of what appeared to be a handgun on Snap Chat, according to the Port St. Lucie Police Department.
The School District notified staff and parents via robo-call Tuesday morning before school started, according to the School District.
Police were notified of the social media threat around 10 p.m. Monday, Jan. 15, which sparked the investigation.
Authorities were able to track down the Snap Chat user and made contact with the teen and his parents. Officers recovered a BB gun that matched the photo posted to Snap Chat.
According to the police department, the boy told police that the post was a joke and pointed out that it was a BB gun.
It’s no joking matter, though.
“Matters of campus safety are taken very seriously and acted upon with the utmost urgency and seriousness,” the School District said in a prepared statement.
Master Sgt. Frank Sabol, spokesman for the police department, told St. Lucie Voice Tuesday morning that, for school purposes, a BB gun is treated as a weapon.
“They can injure people,” Sabol said of BB guns. “We’re taking it extremely seriously.”
“The partnership St. Lucie Public Schools has with local law enforcement is strong and greatly appreciated,” the district said in its statement. “Likewise, the District appreciates parent, teacher, and student support in keeping campuses safe by reporting activity that is of concern.”
The Port St. Lucie Police Department is working with the State Attorney’s Office to determine what, if any, possible criminal charges could be filed.
