SAN MARCOS, Texas (KXAN) — A juvenile believed to be connected with a September “swatting” hoax at San Marcos High School was recently arrested in Washington state on terroristic threat and false report charges.
The City of San Marcos said the juvenile, who was arrested Dec. 5 in Whitman County, Washington, faces other charges in similar “swatting” calls across the country.
“Swatting” is when a false report of a shooting or school threat is sent to police to get an emergency response.
On Sept. 24, around 150 emergency personnel went to the high school campus after receiving an anonymous call about an active shooting, the city said. The caller told authorities there was a person in the school with a gun. Two gunshots were heard during the call, the release said.
“Although the call was determined to be false, the emergency response to the San Marcos High School was real with more than 150 personnel from multiple agencies arriving to the campus,” San Marcos Police Chief Stan Standridge said in the release. “We know that many in our community, including parents and school staff, were shaken by the threat. We took this investigation seriously to bring our community peace of mind and ensure the safety of students and families.”
Detectives connected the juvenile with other false threats after using search warrants to look at his cell phone and computers at his Washington home, the city said. The suspect is also linked with a false report toward a police department in Idaho, the city said.
The suspect, who will not be identified publicly by the San Marcos police, may face additional charges. As of Tuesday, he remains in custody and “his prosecution is being coordinated with the Hays County District Attorney’s Office,” the city said.
Other information collected during the investigation was shared with the FBI and other agencies, the city said.
