Austin High School Student Placed Under Juvenile Custody After Campus Threat

EAST AUSTIN, TX -- Austin High School was one student short on Tuesday after the return to classed following Labor Day: A pupil taken into juvenile custody after posting threatening messages against students on social media.

The unidentified student posted messages on Snapchat warning his fellow students not to show up for classes on Tuesday "because things will happen," Fox 7 reported. Those things, clearly, weren't good things, the district's police chief said.

"Because it had an actual date, a day that they're referring to, making the threat about 'don't go to school on Tuesday because things will happen.' Because of those posts and because of the date and it being so close: today...and we're learning of it yesterday, we work pretty quick," Austin ISD Police Chief Eric Mendez was quoted as telling the news station.

Students and parents alerted law enforcement officials of the student's Monday morning post. Screenshots were taken, also shared with police, who were able to effect an arrest at the student's home, the station reported.

Once the threat was neutralized, an automated call to parents recorded by Principal Amy Taylor assured them the campus was safe, according to the station.

If the student's message was meant as some sort of twisted joke, its humor was lost on everyone, Mendez said: "What we're learning through the investigation, an attempt to I guess be kind of funny," Mendez told the station. "It wasn't taken that way obviously."

Read the full story at Fox 7 >>

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