11-year-old boy arrested for allegedly making threats about bringing gun, bomb to school

HEMPFIELD TOWNSHIP, Pa. — A middle school student in the Hempfield Area School District is facing terrorist threats charges after he allegedly made threatening messages on social media.

According to Pennsylvania State Police, an 11-year-old boy who is a student at Wendover Middle School was arrested Tuesday. The boy will be charged with the Westmoreland County Juvenile Probation Department.

Police say a threat against the middle school was reported by the Safe2SaySomething anonymous reporting program Tuesday afternoon.

Investigators claim the boy sent several messages in a private Snapchat group with dozens of students in it stating he would bring a gun to school on Oct. 11. He also allegedly threatened to shoot people and bring a bomb to school.

When troopers located the student at home later in the day to take him into custody, they found firearms — but said they were not in the boy’s possession. No explosive devices were found and police say there’s no evidence to indicate he was “engaged in any such explosives-related activity.”

Electronic devices were taken as part of the investigation.

State Police say witnesses are being harassed, intimidated, and/or bullied because of the investigation and warn parents that people can be arrested for such behavior and could face disciplinary action at school. Police ask parents to monitor their child’s use of electronic devices and social media.

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