Two Central California Students Arrested Over Social Media Shooting Threats

Modest High School on Paradise Road in Modesto, Calif., in September 2022. Google Maps/Screenshot via California Insider

Two students were arrested Sept. 16 on suspicion of making deadly threats against their Central California schools in unrelated cases, Modesto police reported on Facebook.

Police in Modesto, about 90 miles east of San Francisco, received several reports of violent threats directed at schools in the community over the weekend, according to the department.

Most of the threats were posted on TikTok, SnapChat, and Facebook, police said.

The social media posts were investigated, and although the posts appeared to be part of a statewide hoax or scam, the community impact was real, “leaving students and their families fearful and scared,” the department reported.

“Officers and detectives worked diligently to identify those responsible for creating panic and fear,” according to the Modesto police.

Detectives identified a Modesto High School student suspected of posting one of the threats and a photo of a firearm.

The student was taken into custody Monday by Modesto police detectives and booked into the Stanislaus County Juvenile Hall on charges related to the threats, the department reported.

“We take all threats of school violence seriously and will continue to investigate these threats to ensure the safety of our community,” said Sgt. Jose Meza in a statement on Facebook. “We want to remind everyone to think before you post to social media, even if it is a so-called prank, as you will be found and arrested.”

In a second case, a student at Hanshaw Middle School was arrested after allegedly threatening to commit a school shooting, according to the department’s Facebook post.

Police said other students overheard his threat and told their parents, who then reported it to police Sunday night.

Officers investigated and were told the male student was not at school Monday. They contacted the student at home and took him into custody, according to the department.

The student was also booked into Stanislaus County Juvenile Hall.

While at the suspect’s house, officers said they located suspected narcotics and other evidence that indicated the sale of narcotics connected to an adult male who was not related to the student.

The man suspected of selling drugs was also arrested, according to police.