Teen Girl Arrested For Violent Threats Targeting Menifee School: Cops

MENIFEE, CA — A 13-year-old girl suspected of threatening to perpetrate violence against staff and students at a Menifee middle school was arrested Friday.

Menifee police Capt. Dave Gutierrez said that during the ongoing investigation into social media messages that indicated plans for a shooting or similar attacks at Hans Christensen Middle School, detectives were able to track down the source — a female student.

The girl, whose identity was not disclosed due to her age, was taken into custody without incident and booked into Riverside Juvenile Hall on suspicion of threatening unlawful violence upon the grounds of a school, a felony.

"It was determined that the evidence obtained during the investigation was sufficient for the criminal charge," Gutierrez said.

No firearms or other weapons were seized during the investigation.

The captain alleged that a search of the juvenile's digital devices and one of her social media accounts confirmed that she was the sender.

Menifee Union School District administrators were alerted to the social media post Wednesday at the Sherman Road campus.

Gutierrez said patrol officers were immediately dispatched to the location and initiated an investigation, determining that whoever posted the threat quickly deleted it. However, school officials obtained a screenshot before it was taken down and provided it to police.

Gutierrez said after completing their preliminary investigation, "detectives ... deemed the threat to be non-credible."

The police spokesman said that since the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, last week, multiple law enforcement agencies have experienced a rise in reports about threats of violence.

"MPD wants the public to know that all threats, whether specific, implied, or otherwise that cause fear in our community will not be tolerated," he said.