Teen Arrested in Social Media Threat Against Fort Lauderdale School

A 17-year-old student has been arrested in connection with a threat made on social media about a shooting at a Fort Lauderdale school.

Fort Lauderdale Police said Wednesday that the teen, who is from Pompano Beach and attends Stranahan High School, is being charged with written or electronic threats to kill, do bodily injury, or conduct a mass shooting or an act of terrorism.

“The wording was shooting specific individuals, harming students with gun violence,” said Fort Lauderdale Police Chief Larry Scirotto.

Police said the teen is responsible for one of several threats made on social media this past weekend against local schools, including Stranahan, Dillard High School and William Dandy Middle School.

The threats were posted on several social media platforms beginning the evening of Friday, October 15, 2021 and continuing through Sunday, October 17, 2021, and alluded to a future school shooting, police said.

"It is believed he had the means to carry out the threat therefore he has been arrested and charged accordingly," police said in a statement.

The FBI, Broward Sheriff's Office and Coral Springs Police have assisted in the investigation.

“It shouldn’t go unnoticed this arrest today coincides with the MSD shooting suspect pleading guilty," police said. "Law enforcement doesn’t consider it a joke."

Earlier this week, Miramar Police announced they'd made an arrest related to a threat made against Miramar High School.

A 15-year-old female student is accused of writing threatening messages in a group chat towards the school. She later told police it was all a joke.

A 12-year-old was referred to social services after he allegedly made threatening posts against Dillard High School.

“We have made the appropriate referral for that child to receive counseling,” Scirotto said.