A 12-year-old boy who attends Sierra Vista Middle School in Covina was arrested on suspicion of making a criminal threat after he allegedly posted on Instagram that September 8 would be a “horrible and gruesome day” at the school. Police called the post a hoax after officers responded to the campus and found no weapon.
According to the San Gabriel Valley Tribune, the boy allegedly threatened to target several students and staff members at the school, located at 777 East Puente Street. Covina Police Lt. Ray Marquez said police responded to campus on Tuesday. The boy was arrested on suspicion of making an online threat.
Per the same account, officers conducted extra patrols in the area following the arrest as a precaution. The district’s response was not detailed in the account.
How California Law Treats a Threat Even When It's a Hoax
Even though investigators concluded the threat was not credible and the student lacked any actual weapon or ability to carry it out, California law still allows prosecution. Under Penal Code Section 422, making a criminal threat is a “wobbler” offense that can be charged as a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in county jail or as a felony carrying up to three years in state prison. Legal analysis from the Kraut Law Group notes that officers can pursue charges under this statute regardless of whether a suspect had the real intent or physical capability to follow through, as long as the threat willfully placed targets in reasonable and sustained fear, according to the Los Angeles Criminal Lawyer analysis of the code.
Beyond the criminal justice system, Covina-Valley Unified School District has its own administrative tools. The account did not detail the district’s specific disciplinary policies.
A Campus That's Seen This Before
This is not the first time Sierra Vista Middle School has dealt with a phoned-in or posted threat. In May 2023, Covina Police investigated a school-shooting threat phoned in from inside a classroom at Sierra Vista Middle School after a student was identified, according to SGV CityWatch. Sierra Vista Middle School is part of the Covina-Valley Unified School District. The linked Public School Review profile does not provide Sierra Vista enrollment figures.
The account did not provide further details about Covina Police Department leadership, its school-resource-officer structure, district enrollment or the number of schools in Covina-Valley Unified School District.
Open Questions as the Case Moves Forward
It remains unclear whether the district will pursue formal expulsion proceedings against the seventh-grader. The account does not say how the case will proceed.
