Police in St. Louis County, Missouri, said they thwarted a possible school shooting, arresting a 16-year-old boy who was armed with a handgun after the teen had posted a social media video showing him pointing a gun at the camera and tagging a high school.
The St. Ann Police Department received a tip around 1 p.m. Tuesday through the Courage2Report tip line about a threat to Ritenour High School in St. Louis.
Police found the teen sitting in a car in the parking lot of Husky Academy, about a mile away from the high school, with a fully loaded gun.
"As our officer approached, the suspect ran and tossed the gun. He was quickly located and subdued," police said in a statement.
Police Chief Aaron Jimenez said the firearm, a fully loaded Glock handgun with an extended magazine, was recovered. The extended magazine holds 15 rounds.
The boy told authorities he got the gun from a friend, but detectives are still looking into where it came from.
The teen was not identified because he is a minor. The video the teen posted to social media panned to show an unoccupied police vehicle parked next to the teen’s car.
Jimenez said the police vehicle belonged to an officer who was working in Husky Academy.
The police department said it believes "that the fast work to locate the suspect was due to the information we had been given which included the description of what he was wearing."
"Had the information not been shared with authorities, the outcome could have been much different," police said.
Jimenez said this incident "is a prime example of why we have to take this seriously every time."
"It gives me goose bumps to think of what could have happened," he said.
Gov. Mike Parson thanked law enforcement and the school district "for their quick and thorough response to prevent violence from taking place."
"By law enforcement doing what they are trained to do, they undoubtedly prevented a horrible situation for Missouri students, teachers, and parents from becoming even worse. When we see something suspicious, we must not hesitate to report it like the brave Ritenour students," he said in a statement.
The teen, a former student in the Ritenour School District, was charged with first-degree terrorist threat, resisting arrest and unlawful use of weapons.
Jimenez said the police department has already investigated seven unsubstantiated school shooting threats since the school year began. Three other people have been arrested in connection with those threats.
