USA: 16-Year-Old Arrested With Handgun, After Threatening St Louis High School On Social Media

Preventing a potential school shooting, Police in St. Louis County, Missouri successfully arrested a 16-year-old boy armed with a handgun.

The arrest followed a social media video in which the teen pointed a gun at the camera while tagging Ritenour High School.

How The Boy Was Caught?

Receiving a tip-off at around 1 pm, on Tuesday via the Courage2Report tip line, Officers located the suspect in a car at Husky Academy. Later, it discovered a fully loaded Glock handgun with an extended magazine containing 15 rounds.

As police approached, the boy fled and discarded the weapon but was quickly apprehended. He claimed to have obtained the gun from a friend, although detectives are still investigating its source.

The video posted by the teen also featured an unoccupied police vehicle parked beside his car, belonging to an officer assigned to Husky Academy.

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Since then, the former student has been charged with first-degree terrorist threat, resisting arrest, and unlawful use of a weapon.

Later, police chief Aaron Jimenez emphasized the importance of the swift response, stating that the detailed information provided by the public was crucial in locating the suspect. “Had this information not been shared, the outcome could have been much different,” he noted.

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Meanwhile, since the start of the school year, the police department has dealt with seven unsubstantiated threats of school shootings, leading to three additional arrests.