LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — An 11-year-old sixth grader is facing charges of making terroristic threats in connection to a viral social media post. The post claimed May 10 would be the largest mass shooting in school history.
Clark County School District police arrested the sixth grader Monday.
A string of unsubstantiated threats on social media caused parents in the Clark County School District to be on high alert last week. Several schools in the district were the subject of hard lockdowns and heavy police presence as a result.
Mace Yampolsky, a criminal defense attorney at Yampolsky & Margolis in Las Vegas, said it is unlikely the 11-year-old would be tried as an adult.
"An 11-year-old making terrorist threats won't have the wearwithal to carry it out," said Yampolsky. "It's my understanding the student said there would be a shooting at school and posted it. I'm not condoning that but that definitely would be a matter for the juvenile court."
Yampolsky said as a penalty, the child would likely be sent to juvenile rehabilitation.
"If the same person did this when they were 17, that would be a different story," said Yampolsky. "11-years-old, I don't think the child really has the cognitive faculties to understand what he did."
According to a tweet from CCSDPD, the 11-year-old said he made the post as a "joke." Federal Bureau of Investigation former special agent in charge of the Las Vegas field office Aaron Rouse said the law enforcement cost to respond to these bogus practical jokes is big, both in terms of dollars and time.
"Having a prank go so far as to acquire such a response is taking away from people who may need that emergency response," said Rouse.
Rouse said the FBI typically does not get involved in juvenile cases. However, parents could face consequences on the local and county levels.
"They need to be the monitor. They need to set the passwords and only let them use the computers when they're around," said parent Jerry Sims.
CCSD Police encourage the community to report threats through Safe Voice NV. You can call 833-216-SAFE or report them online at safevoicenv.org
