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14-year-old Lakewood Ranch High student arrested for making shooting threat on Snapchat: Deputies

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Published  March 13, 2025 5:28pm EDT
Manatee County
FOX 13 News

The Brief

    • A 14-year-old Lakewood Ranch High School student was arrested for making a school shooting threat on Snapchat.
    • Manatee County deputies said they received a tip through the Fortify FL app about a shooting planned at the school for Friday.
    • Records from Snapchat helped deputies link an email address and phone number to the student, which led to his arrest.

LAKEWOOD RANCH, Fla. - A 14-year-old Lakewood Ranch High School student was arrested Thursday afternoon after making a school shooting threat on Snapchat, according to deputies. 

Dig deeper:

The Manatee County Sheriff's Office said they received a tip through the Fortify FL app that indicated a shooting was planned at the school for Friday, March 14. It prompted several students to speak up to school staff about concerning comments posted on Snapchat. 

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Deputies said they began investigating and got records from Snapchat that included an email address and phone number linked to the 14-year-old, who was not identified by FOX 13 due to his age. 

Detectives said they arrested the student at the school after confirming his cellphone number. 

He was arrested on two charges, including making written threats to kill and disrupting a school function. 

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