Judge denies bond for high school student charged with threats of mass violence

A judge denied bond Friday for a Montgomery County, Maryland, student accused of planning a school shooting, citing major public safety concerns.

Alex Ye is charged with threats of mass violence to Thomas S. Wootton High School in Rockville and Lakewood Elementary School. Authorities are thankful someone warned police about the 18-year-old, leading to Wednesday’s arrest and possibly saving lives.

“A potentially catastrophic event was prevented,” Montgomery County Police Chief Marcus Jones said.

The threats from the suspect stood out, Jones said. Investigators discovered a 129-page document allegedly written by the suspect that depicted strategies for carrying out a mass shooting and the fame that would come with it. The writings were labeled a fictional account by their author, according to court records, but investigators wrote that they believed the document was based on the teen’s life, not entirely fictional.

MCPD says it's received 140 threats to schools this school year, but most of them are hoaxes. What was discussed in Ye’s document unsettled investigators.

"He writes about targeting his former elementary school because little kids make easier targets,” Jones said.

On March 3, a witness who had seen the 129-page document reported their concerns to police. Officers went to the suspect's home in Rockville, but the suspect's father did not consent to search of the home.

Crisis intervention officers met with Ye March 6, and ultimately, the teen was taken to a hospital for an emergency mental health evaluation. According to police, hospital staff raised concerns about the teen talking about school shootings.

Police obtained a search warrant March 21 and seized the suspect's electronics. Police discovered internet searches, drawings and documents related to threats.

“Because this was handled the right way, those deadly consequences were avoided. The consequences of which we can’t even fathom,” Montgomery County Council President Andrew Friedson said.

The suspect repeatedly received psychiatric help over the years and has been hospitalized multiple times for homicidal and suicidal ideations, police said.

Court records show the teen was hospitalized in December 2022 after threatening to “shoot up a school,” and the following month clinicians reported that the teen was talking about “suicide by cop.”

“The fact that he’s charged does not mean he’s not going to receive treatment,” Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy said. “Quite candidly, I think my hope would be he would receive greater treatment, supervised treatment, during a period of time which we could keep everybody here in the community safe.”

Ye's trial is set to start in June. If convicted, the teen could face a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.

The suspect opted not to speak during the bond hearing. Ye's parents, who were in attendance, did not comment on the case.

Montgomery County Public Schools officials said in a statement Thursday the student was completing schoolwork through a virtual learning program. They said the student “has not physically attended an MCPS school since the fall of 2022.”