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Torrey Pines High School 'Color War Pep Rally' postponed over student's alleged threats

Posted at 5:33 AM, Feb 23, 2018
and last updated 2018-02-23 17:30:33-05

SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - A pep rally at Torrey Pines High School scheduled for Friday was postponed after a student reportedly made threats against the school.

A 14-year-old freshman was taken into custody Thursday after school officials told San Diego police he was suspended for making verbal and written threats. The student reportedly targeted the school's "Color War Pep Rally."

The boy was detained at his home in Carmel Valley on suspicion of making criminal threats and taken to San Diego Juvenile Hall.

RELATED: Teen questioned over possible threat against Torrey Pines HS

Police served a search warrant on the home on Larkfield Court, but said no weapons were found in the home. Investigators did seize several electronic devices.

A friend of the suspended student told 10News the 14-year-old actually discussed his plans with other students. The friend said those students spoke to school officials.

San Dieguito Union High School District Superintendent Eric Dill said that despite the alleged threat, "at no time were our students or school in danger."

RELATED: Parents warned of threats to 3 local schools

Dill's full statement on the matter:

"We are working cooperatively with the San Diego Police Department as they investigate a possible threat involving a student. The police contacted the student off-campus. At no time were our students or school in danger. We would like to thank the concerned students who brought this matter to our attention. We encourage all students to report their concerns. We take all threats seriously and investigate promptly to ensure the safety of our schools."

Dill also wrote a letter to families, which read in part:

Tragic events such as the one in Parkland and threats made to our local schools impact our entire community, create a sense of unease among our students and staff, and cause us all to consider how we can ensure the safety of everyone at our schools. The most important thing we can do is care for and support each other.

Whenever threats are reported against our schools, administrators respond quickly with the utmost seriousness. We have established relationships with local law enforcement and work together to resolve all threats as quickly as possible to preserve safety and order on campus. The response by the schools and law enforcement and the consequences for kids are the same whether the threats appear credible or are social media hoaxes.

When our principals notify families of an incident or concern on campus, we report factual information. If there is a delay in sending a message to you, it is because we are working to confirm details. We recognize that rumors or conjecture do nothing to assure the community and can only spread more fear and confusion.

We must also balance student privacy with the need to inform and assure our community without compromising or interfering with ongoing law enforcement investigations.

San Diego County schools have dealt with several threats to campuses this week -- one week after a shooting at a Florida high school left 17 people dead.