Girl, 13, arrested in Riverside as threats against schools cause anxiety nationwide

Police arrested a 13-year-old girl Tuesday who they say is behind threats of violence against a Riverside middle school. The allegations come amid a spate of social media threats against schools across the country that have alarmed law enforcement, parents and administrators.

Riverside police said the student, who was not identified, targeted Chemawa Middle School in at least two social media posts Friday, including one in which she listed names of classmates, causing many parents to pick up their kids early from school.

Law enforcement did not disclose the nature of the threats or what social media platform they were on. But they said that once school safety officers received tips over the weekend identifying the student, police searched her home and determined that she did not have access to weapons. Officers then arrested and booked the girl at a Riverside County juvenile detention facility on suspicion of making criminal threats against the school and students.

Dozens of similar incidents have taken place in recent weeks across the nation since a Sept. 4 shooting at a high school in Winder, Ga., that killed four people — two students and two teachers.

On Monday, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office arrested a 14-year-old boy from Eastvale on suspicion of making undisclosed threats against students at a Jurupa Unified School District middle school.

On Sept. 11, police arrested a 15-year-old on suspicion of being behind a social media threat against Arlington High School in Riverside and its principal the previous day.

At least eight students have been arrested recently as well on suspicion of making threats in Sacramento and other areas of Northern California, according to local news.

Alarm over the threats spurred at least one law enforcement official to try a remedy that was unusual, particularly because it involved a minor. In Florida’s Volusia County, about 40 miles north of Orlando, an 11-year-old was arrested on suspicion of making a written threat to carry out a mass school shooting, a felony, according to the county Sheriff’s Office. The department then posted a video on Facebook of the boy in handcuffs and included his name.

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Riverside Police Chief Larry Gonzalez said in a statement Tuesday that his department would “not tolerate any behavior that undermines the safety and security of our schools.”

The social media postings “must stop immediately so that our children can focus on their education,” Gonzalez said.

“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,” Gonzalez said. “We will not tolerate any behavior that undermines the safety and security of our schools.”