(SANFORD, Fla.) — A 17-year-old was arrested on Sunday after posting a video online allegedly plotting a shooting at a high school in Florida, according to the Sanford Police Department.
Officials said they 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,” authorities said in a statement on Sunday.
Timothy A. Thomas, 17, was ultimately confirmed as the student in the video, police said. Thomas was charged with intimidation through a written or electronic threat of a mass shooting or act of terrorism, police said.
Thomas is a student at Elevation High School, which is approximately 4 miles from Seminole High School. He was found at his residence and “taken into custody without incident,” officials said.
The weapons — which were seized after the teen’s arrest — were “extremely realistic Airsoft replicas,” according to police.
Sanford Chief of Police Cecil Smith applauded the “swift dedication and arrest” of the suspect.
“This fact action and teamwork most likely prevented a tragedy and saved multiple lives,” Smith said in a statement.
Serita Beamon, superintendent of Seminole County Public Schools, said she was “thankful” for law enforcement’s prompt response to the threats.
“The safety of our students and staff is our highest priority, and we will continue to take any potential threat seriously, and act quickly,” Beamon said in a statement.
Anyone with additional information about the incident should reach out to the Sanford Police Department or Crimeline at 800-423-TIPS (8477).
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