14-year-old girl arrested in connection to online threats to Broward schools; detectives say teen intended posts as a joke
By Heather Walker, Rubén Rosario
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FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida (WSVN) — A 14-year-old girl is facing serious charges after she was arrested in connection to what authorities described as online threats against several Broward County schools, authorities said.
According to the Broward Sheriff’s Office, detectives with BSO’s Threat Management Unit apprehended the teen on Saturday evening in conjunction with several law enforcement partners.
Parents of students at Broward County schools received a voicemail about the arrest on Sunday.
“A social media threat posted this weekend identifying specific Broward County public schools has been neutralized,” the recording stated.
Two parents who identified themselves as Kush and Ishmet weighed in on the matter.
“It’s very heartbreaking, it’s very sad,” said Kush.
The concerned parents said this latest threat only adds to their fears of sending their son to school. They live just a few blocks from Plantation High School, which was listed as a target in one of the posts.
“And you think, like, you send kids to school, and that should be the most safe environment for them,” said Ishmet.
Investigators said the student posted multiple stories on Instagram on Saturday afternoon that contained threats. One post listed several schools across the county that would be targeted with violence, including Park Lakes Elementary, Lauderdale Lakes Middle and Dillard High.
Other posts contained additional threats of a school shooting or other violence, including one with a picture of a hand holding a gun and another that referred to the shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, that left four people dead.
After law enforcement agencies received multiple reports of these posts, BSO detectives worked alongside Fort Lauderdale Police, Plantation Police and Broward County Public Schools Police. Within hours, they traced the threats to the teen, who resides in Lauderdale Lakes.
When detectives confronted her with the information, the teen confessed to making the threats and said they were posted as a joke.
As for Kush and Ishmet, they said they are ready to move, but they fear that no matter where they go, these threats will follow.
“This could happen anywhere, so this is not just about public versus private schools, it’s more about our policies overall nationally,” said Ishmet.
Following her arrest, the teen was taken to the Juvenile Assessment Center in Fort Lauderdale for processing. She faces charges of making written threats to kill/conduct a mass shooting, threat to throw, project, place or discharge any destructive device, as well as unlawful use of a two-way communication device.
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