Teen faces terrorism charge after allegedly threatening to shoot up California high school

A Tulare teenager is in jail after police say he made threats to shoot up his school last week.

Police Sgt. Andy Garcia said the report was made last Thursday, when police got a call from Tech Prep High School, at 700 W. Bardsley Ave., about a student who had allegedly made threats to shoot up the school. Before officers arrived to the campus, Garcia stated, the teenager ran away. Officers began to search for him. Detectives detained him at his home about 10:15 a.m. Sunday.

The teen, whose name was not released due to his age, was taken to the Tulare Police Department for questioning, Garcia said. He was provided a public defender, Garcia said, due to a new state law stating that minors who are 15 or younger must have legal representation before they can be questioned by police.

But Garcia said the teen did not provide any type of statement on the incident once he was provided with legal counsel, and he was then booked into the Tulare County Juvenile Detention Facility. The case was turned over to the Tulare County Superior Court’s juvenile division, he added.

The teen is facing one charge of making a threat to a public employee and another charge for making a terrorist threat. As of Monday, the teen was still in the detention facility and is expected to appear in court some time before Wednesday, according to Garcia. The alleged incident happened a day after 17 people were killed in a mass shooting at a school in Florida last week.

A parent was home when detectives arrived Sunday morning to detain the teen, Garcia said. It was not immediately known if the home had any weapons or if the teen has a criminal history.

This story was originally published February 20, 2018 at 7:30 AM with the headline "Teen faces terrorism charge after allegedly threatening to shoot up California high school."