A Martinez Junior High School student scrawled the threat of a school shooting on a campus bathroom mirror and was arrested Tuesday, police said.
On Tuesday, Martinez Police Department officers were dispatched to the Martinez Junior High School for threatening graffiti written on a bathroom mirror. Through a cooperative investigation with school staff, it was determined a male student wrote in marker on a bathroom mirror that he intended to “shoot up the school” on February 20th. The student was contacted by officers, and he was ultimately arrested and booked into the Contra Costa Juvenile Facility for the crime of criminal threats.
Investigators have determined there is no evidence this was a credible threat with a specific plan to harm MUSD students or staff.
However, both the School District and the Martinez Police Department take such threats seriously, whether or not they appear to be credible. California law is clear that any plausible threat of violence made towards an individual is a crime. While in this incident the threat appears to have been made without the intent to carry out an act of violence, MPD and the school district have taken precautions to ensure the safety of the students and staff.
We would like to thank the school district for their cooperation and would recommend all parents talk to their children about their actions and how those actions may impact other students. It is important that our students have a sense of safety when at their school, and it is important for our community to feel safe sending their children to learn.
