SEATTLE — A 13-year-old Seattle Public Schools student was arrested Monday after allegedly threatening on social media to shoot students at his school, according to a police statement.
Earlier this week, the Seattle Police Department was notified of a threat of a shooting at Whitman Middle School which was posted on social media, according to police. The student was arrested and booked into the King County Youth Services Center for investigation of harassment.
Seattle Public Schools officials could not immediately be reached for comment Tuesday.
It’s the second arrest and fourth time in two weeks that a threat of violence has happened at a Seattle public school. Cascadia Elementary School was put on shelter-in-place alert Tuesday shortly after 11:30 a.m. while police investigated reports of someone with a possible weapon on school grounds, an email from the school’s principal said.
The person was gone by the time school security and officers arrived, the email said. Cascadia Elementary remained on shelter-in-place status until the end of the school day because the suspect was not located.
On Saturday, a threat was made on social media toward Ingraham High School, according to an email sent to families. The email didn’t specify what kind of threats were made, but described the posts as “very concerning.”
Seattle police and the district’s safety and security teams were contacted and an arrest was made, Principal Martin Floe said in the email.
A juvenile was arrested Saturday on investigation of harassment after they allegedly made multiple threats on social media to obtain a gun and shoot students at a high school, according to an item in the Seattle Police Department’s online blotter.
A spokesperson for the department did not respond Tuesday on whether the arrest was connected to the Ingraham High School threats.
On Thursday, Garfield High School was put on a “shelter-in-place” alert when several gunshots were heard while some students and staff were still on campus around 4:30 p.m.
Police lifted the alert after about 20 minutes, according to an email from the school. No injuries were reported. Additional safety and security department staff were sent to the school the next day.
There is no known connection between the incidents at Garfield High and Whitman Middle School, Seattle Police Sgt. Randy Huserik said.
