On Thursday, September 29, 2022, the Yuma County Sheriff’s Office (YCSO) received a report of a student posting threats of violence via social media after being suspended for having a BB gun at school.
Dateland Elementary School students reported images on social media to their parents of the suspect carrying what they believed was a gun on the bus. The parents of those students notified school staff. After being notified by the school, the suspect’s parent discovered a BB gun in their son’s backpack.
After he was told that he would be suspended from school, the suspect posted threats on social media targeting the school and students who he believed to have reported him.
YCSO Deputies responded to take the report and speak to parties involved. The suspect, a 12-year old male of Dateland, AZ, was arrested and booked into the Yuma County Juvenile Justice Center for Interfering or Disrupting a School, Carrying a Weapon into School Grounds, and three Counts of Threats.
The investigation revealed the suspect did not have access to firearms and was in possession of a single BB gun.