El Paso police arrest teen in hoax school shooting threat at Parkland Middle School

A 14-year-old boy was arrested in connection with a social media post making a hoax threat of a shooting at Parkland Middle School last week, El Paso police said.

The boy allegedly admitted to investigators to creating the social media post with the threat but said he did not intend for it to go viral, a police news release stated.

An investigation began Thursday when officials with the Ysleta Independent School District notified police about a social media post threatening a school shooting.

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The boy was identified in an investigation by the police Special Investigations Unit and the Northeast Regional Command.

The boy was taken into custody on a false alarm charge, which is a state jail felony because it was a threat against a public school, police said. The boy's name was not disclosed because he is a juvenile.

"School threats are not a joke, think of the consequences before making any threats," the El Paso Police Department said in a statement.

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Social media threats — even if only intended as a joke — cause unnecessary stress, tie up law enforcement resources, cost taxpayer money and suspects face criminal charges and punishment at school, law enforcement officials have said.

Residents should avoid spreading threats by sharing social media posts and should instead report them to law enforcement.

Daniel Borunda may be reached at 915-546-6102; dborunda@elpasotimes.com; @BorundaDaniel on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: El Paso police arrest teen in hoax threat at Parkland Middle School