Hollywood Police have arrested a 16-year-old former high school student who they say posted a video on social media showing him pulling out a gun in a classroom and pointing it at other students.
The teen, a former student at McArthur High School, was taken into custody Wednesday afternoon after multiple people reported that he posted a photo and video with a threatening caption asking whether or not to "carry my pistol with me like last year," police said.
The video released by police shows a person sitting at a classroom desk and pulling out a handgun while appearing to point it at unsuspecting students.
Police said the video may have been filmed last year but was posted on social media on Tuesday. The teen was expelled from the school last year for bringing ammunition to the school, police said.
The teen faces a felony charge of electronic threat to kill. A family member was also taken into custody for obstructing the investigation, police said.
"This arrest is a testament to our vigilant efforts to keep our schools safe and the community’s 'see something, say something' mentality. Our department is committed to keeping our schools safe for our kids, parents and staff, not only on the first day of school, but all year round. Because of the courage of citizens to call the police, along with our proactive policing enforcement of the MSDHS Public Safety Act, we were able to take him into custody and stop a potentially dangerous situation," Hollywood Police Chief Chris O’Brien said in a statement.
