A teenage boy who allegedly told his ex-girlfriend he would shoot up her home, school and her mother's workplace has been arrested, D.C. police say.
Police said the 17-year-old boy was arrested Thursday night.
Officers searched the teen's home last week after he sent text messages to his ex-girlfriend saying he would kill her and her family, Police Chief Cathy Lanier said on Thursday. They found an AK-47 and more than 180 rounds of ammunition in the teen's home in Southeast D.C., court records show.
Police learned of the threats on June 14, when the victim and her mother called for help, records show. Officers went to their home in Greenbelt, Maryland, where the victim showed police text messages from the teen.
In the text messages, the teen boy wrote that three days later, on June 17, he would kill his ex, kill her mother at work and open fire at Eleanor Roosevelt High School in Greenbelt, according to court documents. Police said he also posted videos online of the girl performing sexual acts.
Greenbelt police partnered with Prince George's County police to investigate the threats. Police said the high school heightened security at the school, but the school system did not notify parents of the threat because they did not want to compromise the investigation.
Police said the teen girl's courage to report the text messages likely saved lives.
Local
Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia local news, events and information
"The girl took exactly the right action. The threats resulted in the recovery of a weapon and enabled us to provide more security for Roosevelt," said Capt. Thomas Kemp, with the Greenbelt Police Department.
Police have not released the teen's name. He will be held in custody until he can be extradited to face charges associated with the investigation in Prince George's County, Maryland, police said.
The teen will be charged as a juvenile.
