SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — There has been a recent spike in the number of school threats in San Diego County, with five this week alone.
Three of those have resulted in arrests at Poway High, Fallbrook High, and El Capitan High. Law enforcement is investigating other threats at Scripps Ranch High and Steele Canyon High.
"We do see where it comes to school threats that they come in packs," District Attorney Summer Stephan told 10News during an interview Thursday afternoon at the Hall of Justice.
She believes that because many of the threats are born out of attention-getting behavior, they may be copycat scenarios, explaining why they may occur in waves.
RELATED:
- 14-year-old arrested for making threats against El Capitan High School
- Teen arrested for threat against Fallbrook High
- Poway student arrested for threatening to shoot classmates
Stephan said there have been 45 threat cases at San Diego County schools since the mass shooting in Parkland, Florida in February. Of those cases, three were considered credible threats.
"We know that it wasn't a joke," Stephan said. "There were acts of preparation. There was access to weapons. The kid had gone much further than just talking."
In the other cases, Stephan said there is a balancing act between holding students accountable for making threats while trying to make sure the rest of their lives are not ruined because of one stupid mistake.
"Resources are brought to bear," she said. "So that we are able, if this is a kid who didn't intend harm but made a mistake, we are able to restore that kid to a state of healthy behavior and not do anything to impact their future."
