More than a dozen students nationwide have been arrested after making copycat threats attributed to a ‘school shooting TikTok challenge’ following a deadly school massacre in Michigan last month.
FBI investigators are investigating TikTok’s vile challenge, which enticed students to submit threats following the shooting death of four teenagers at Ethan Crumbley’s high school in Oxford in Michigan.
Florida’s Lee County Sheriff’s Office Three teenagers were arrested on Thursday after making threats about school via social media.
Three of the dozen-plus arrests involved 13-year-old males who shared threats on social media in Naugatuck, Connecticut, Palm Coast, Florida and Frederick, Maryland.
Miramar, Florida: A sixteen-year-old boy was charged with carrying a weapon onto school grounds.
Fox News reports that a fourteen-year-old boy was arrested in Wyoming for making threats to Wyoming.
Police said that a minor was detained in Watsonville, California on Thursday for making threats to his family via Instagram. The threat, which police believed were connected with the TikTok trend.
Below is a screenshot of the “School shooting TikTok” challenge that led to over 12 students being arrested across the country.
Pictured is a Tweet from Frisco Police Department, Texas. Seven middle-schoolers were arrested for making threats about copycat schools via social media.
Broward County Sheriff’s Department in Florida tweeted that ‘every violent threats are taken seriously’ (tweet pictured above).
Pictured: Friday’s tweet from the Aurora Police Department of Colorado about an incident reported at West Aurora High School. It was deemed to have been a threat, and not an actual incident.
After copycat threats and a Michigan school massacre last month, more than 12 students were arrested in a TikTok “school shooting TikTok” challenge.
This news comes less than three weeks following the shooting death of Ethan Crumbley, 15, at Oxford High School.
A day later, authorities in Frisco, Texas arrested seven middle schoolers, another juvenile in South Carolina, and two students in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, all for making threats on social media, according to local Reports.
Schools across America were shocked by the social media crisis and decided to cancel Friday classes or send additional officers in precaution.
Arizona, Connecticut. Illinois. Montana. New York. Pennsylvania school officials announced Thursday that an increased presence of police officers would result from the threat. Parents and students have been assured by police agencies that they do not have credible threats.
“There’s information that schools may face attacks today,” said a source. Administration and DC Police have been made aware and are on alert.
Pennsbury School District, Pennsylvania informed parents that they would have an increase in police presence at school buildings, even though the threats were not credible.
TikTok stated it was conducting an investigation, even though it seemed to be distancing itself from the video posted on its platform.
Broward County Sheriff’s department in Florida posted a photo, pictured below, that showed the dangers associated with making school shooting threats to students via social media messaging.
An @enigmasoul_ TikTok user explained that the original challenge began as an appeal to kids not to go school, but it turned into something sinister.
“We deal with even rumored threats with the utmost severity, which is why our company works with law enforcement to investigate warnings regarding violence at schools, even though there has not been any evidence that such threats originated or were spread via TikTok,” said the company in a Twitter statement.
“We have searched tirelessly for videos that encourage violence in schools, and we still don’t find any.” TikTok stated that they found videos discussing the topic and warning others about staying safe.
“Local authorities and the FBI have all confirmed that there is no credible threat. We are working hard to eliminate alarmist warnings which violate our misinformation policy. We would report any promotion of violence to the law enforcement if we found it.
“Media reports are widespread, based on myths rather than facts. We are concerned that local media reporting on an alleged trend not found on the platform may lead to real-world harm.
The FBI said Friday that they were examining the threat.
TikTok stated in Friday’s statement that no evidence was found on the platform for the December 17th school shooting challenge
The FBI is committed to addressing all possible threats. It stated in a statement that it regularly works with law enforcement partners to assess the legitimacy of threats.
Three weeks have passed since the Michigan school shooting that resulted in the death of a student. This has led to an increase in threats from copycats.
Reports from Detroit Free Press: Prosecutors have indicted four counties, Michigan, Wayne, Macomb, and Muskegon, for threatening terrorist acts and disturbing the peace with juveniles. They also intend to bring charges against the children to set an example and stop the spread of copycat threats.
Kym Worthy, Wayne County Prosecutor, asked that parents talk with their kids during last week’s press conference. “Let them know it is serious. They should let them know that even though they may think it’s a joke, this is serious.
Worthy’s Office has been bringing 38 persons to justice in connection with the threat of Ethan Crumbley shooting at Oakland High School on November 30, killing four children.
Wayne County Prosecutor Kymworthy has indicted 38 children in Michigan in relation to threats against schools
Prosecutors have brought charges against thirty people in Macomb County. In Oakland County where the massacre occurred, there are 17 individuals facing charges.
Nineteen students were charged in Muskegon County with threatening violence against schools.
Michael Bouchard from Oakland County, where deputies arrived on the spot at the high-school after the shooting spree, stated that nearly 140 threats to his office have been investigated in the last two weeks.
“We would rather miss one deal than check out 1000 nothings,” he said.
It isn’t clear where this TikTok challenge, which asks kids to send threats about schools to their parents, originated. However multiple videos of the app mention ‘December 17’ as well as school shootings.
One TikTok user posted on the video, “Prepared for hopefully not getting shot tomorrow at school,” According to TikTok users, ‘There were threats of school shootings tomorrow at most schools on Friday (17/12).’
TikTok issued a statement Thursday afternoon saying it is working with the law enforcement to examine ‘warnings of potential violence in schools’. However, it said that it couldn’t identify any threats being made to TikTok.
A TikTok trend reportedly urging students to call in shooting threats at their schools on Friday, December 17 has sent some schools scrambling to cancel classes last minute
Gov. Phil Murphy stated that ‘there are not known specific threats to New Jersey schools.
Three weeks ago, Ethan Crumbley, 15, shot and killed four students at Oxford High School in Michigan.
Little Falls Community Schools in Minnesota; the Gasconade County in Missouri; Gilroy High School in Gilroy, California; and Kaufman High School in Kaufman, Texas all cited the TikTok ‘trend’ or ‘challenge’ when announcing that classes were canceled on Friday, The Verge reports.
However, schools have tried to ensure parents that they are not in danger.
According to the district, “Based on law enforcement interviews,” Little Falls Community Schools were specifically identified as a TikTok posting related to this threat.
“Therefore, all schools in the district are canceled tomorrow, Friday December 17th.”
In Missouri, the Gasconade County Sheriff’s Office cited ‘posts circulating on social media sites, such as Tik Tok’ before announcing it was closing its schools the next day.
Little Falls Community Schools of Minnesota stated that they were cancelling Friday classes after being’specifically identified’ in TikTok posts related to the threat.
Minnesota’s Little Falls Community Schools will close due to the danger
Kaufman High School, Kaufman Texas announced that it would cancel classes Friday following a TikTok threat
Owensville High school – Gasconade County closes its doors on Friday
On Thursday, Gilroy High said it was closing down schools on Friday after ‘it was determined that a social media post thought to involve Gilroy High School had actually originated out of Los Angeles.’
This post actually refers to an elementary school in Los Angeles.
Kaufman High, Texas, said that it received a threat consistent with the trend of December 17.
WFAA reports that the district stated in a letter addressed to parents, “The threat did NOT include a time specific, but was specific for a date: December 17”.
“This aligns with a TikTok national trend, which threatens violence coordination at schools in December 17-2021.”
One woman from TikTok, @enigmasoul_ posted a trend update to her followers Thursday.
“Apparently, there is a TikTok Challenge going around. She explained that originally, the TikTok challenge was meant to encourage kids to miss school tomorrow (December 17).
“Apparently, it became – rather than skipping school – you are supposed to call school to report a bomb threat/a shooting.
Several school districts conducted an investigation and discovered nothing to worry about.
‘Many of our schools are being inundated with parent calls this morning asking about these latest threats and their validity,’ tweeted Florida’s Citrus County School District, according to the New York Post. According to the New York Post, ‘As at Thursday morning, there has not been any indication that any threat is credible to any of our schools.
Baltimore County Public Schools warned families and students of the TikTok trend. However, they later stated that it was not credible and originated in Arizona.
Baltimore County Public Schools stated that law enforcement authorities have examined the threat and concluded it was originating in Arizona. tweeted.
“At the moment, there are no threats to any school in Mexico. [Missouri],” the Mexico School District said, according to KMIZ.
‘There have been no local, credible threats,’ Ohio’s Milford Exempted Village School District told parents.
Gov. Phil Murphy from New Jersey stated on Twitter that ‘there are no known specific threats against New Jersey schools.’
Arizona’s Scottsdale Unified School District stated that the TikTok threats were not credible, but schools have taken extra precautionary steps anyway.
District stated that there may be an increase in police presence around campuses, as well as tomorrow’s, WNYW reported. The district also said it “takes all threats seriously.”
In upstate New York, the superintendents of the Jamesville-DeWitt School District and the Baldwinsville Central School District said they adding extra security or police presence at their schools on Friday, according to the Syracuse Post-Standard.
According to the newspaper, TikTok’s Friday challenge is referred to as “National Shoot Up Your School Day” and it encourages students make threats against schools.