Florida police arrest student after video threat to ‘shoot up' a high school

CNN

10-03-2025

Florida police have arrested a high school student after video emerged of a potential gunman threatening to open fire at a school.
The Sanford Police Department said it received an anonymous tip on Saturday 'regarding a video of an unknown male threatening to shoot up Seminole High School.'
'The video pictured the subject with multiple guns, vests, and other items of concern,' police said in a statement Sunday.
Sanford police and other law enforcement worked to identify the person featured in the video. Their investigations led them to arrest a 17-year-old a day later.
Police said the 17-year-old is enrolled at Elevation High School, which is also in the city of Sanford. He was taken into custody at his home without incident.
He is charged with Intimidation Written/Electronic Threat of Mass Shooting/Terrorism Act.
It is unknown if he has an attorney.
Crediting the 'swift identification and arrest' of the teen to 'the immediate collaboration and dedication of multiple local and federal agencies and organizations,' Sanford Police Chief Cecil Smith said, 'this fast action and team work most likely prevented a tragedy and saved multiple lives.'
Police shared a photo of items taken from the teenager's home, classifying them as, 'extremely realistic Airsoft replicas.' It is not clear if they are the same weapons from the video.
Superintendent of Seminole County Public Schools Serita Beamon expressed her gratitude that the potential threat was taken seriously and acted upon.
'I am so thankful for the collaborative work and relentless dedication of all the agencies involved in bringing this incident to a conclusion. The safety of our students and staff is our highest priority, and we will continue to take any potential threat seriously, and act quickly,' the police statement quoted her as saying.
Less than a month ago, an Indiana teen was accused of plotting a Valentine's Day school shooting inspired by the 2018 massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
That threat was also first flagged by an anonymous tip – a call to the Sandy Hook tip line – which led authorities to online messages in which the 18-year-old suspect allegedly described planning 'Parkland part two' for 'a year,' according to authorities. The FBI was able to trace the IP address associated with the messages to the teen suspect.
Four school shootings have been carried out in the US as of February 7 this year, according to CNN's analysis of events reported by the Gun Violence Archive, Education Week and Everytown for Gun Safety. Two were on K-12 school grounds, and two were on college campuses. The shootings left one person dead and at least five other victims injured.
CNN's Lex Harvey, Holly Yan and Rebekah Riess contributed to this report.