A 13-year-old Deerfield Beach Middle School student was arrested Wednesday after calling 911 and saying he was “about to shoot the school,” according to the Broward Sheriff’s Office. Deputies say the teen later told detectives he made the call because he lost a rock-paper-scissors bet with friends. The joke, if he thought it was one, briefly plunged the campus into a lockdown as authorities swept the school for any sign of danger.
Lockdown And Rapid Response
Shortly after 12:30 p.m., Broward County Regional Communications received the 911 call and sent deputies racing to Deerfield Beach Middle School at 701 SE Sixth Ave, Local 10 reported. Detectives from the Broward Sheriff’s Office Threat Management Unit tracked the call to a student on campus and took him into custody. The school was placed on lockdown while law enforcement searched for any immediate threat.
A separate 12:48 p.m. report about Cypress Bay High School in Weston was also investigated and is being treated as unrelated, authorities said.
BSO spokesperson Miranda Grossman told WSVN, “He lost that game, he lost that bet and he called 911 and threatened to shoot up the school.”
Students told WSVN they were pulled into the library during the lockdown, while parents outside the campus described being rattled by the heavy law enforcement presence surrounding the school.
Charges And Juvenile Processing
The 13-year-old was taken to the Juvenile Assessment Center and is facing a list of charges that adds up quickly when a threat involves guns and schools. According to NBC 6, counts include unlawful use of a two-way communications device, misuse of 911, disruption of a school function, and a felony charge for making a false report concerning the use of a firearm in a violent manner.
Detectives say the Cypress Bay High School call appears to be unrelated as they continue that separate investigation.
Why Authorities Say This Is “Not A Game”
Florida law does not leave much wiggle room on hoax emergency calls. Misuse of emergency communications is criminalized, and unlawful use of a two-way communications device is treated as a felony under state law, including provisions in statutes published by the Florida Senate and in Section 934.215 on the Florida Senate website. Threats involving firearms can also fall under laws that forbid false reports about bombs or gun use.
Broward County Public Schools policy requires that incidents like this trigger a behavioral threat assessment along with immediate reporting to law enforcement, according to district administrative definitions from Broward County Public Schools.
Sheriff Gregory Tony summed up the agency’s view of these situations in a statement quoted by NBC 6: “This is not a game and there is nothing routine about these calls.”
What Parents Are Being Told
Parents told WSVN the lockdown was frightening and that, in this climate, even a short scare is too much. CBS News Miami aired video of the student’s arrest and the official statement from BSO, capturing the tense scene outside the school.
Authorities are urging anyone with information about the Weston call involving Cypress Bay High School to contact detectives as that investigation continues, while the Deerfield Beach case moves forward in the juvenile system.
