Pre-teen arrested for threatening school

WENATCHEE – A 12-year-old boy was arrested Monday after threatening to shoot students at Orchard Middle School.

The boy allegedly made the threats in a Fortnite group chat with friends, said Det. Sgt. Nathan Hahn with Wenatchee Police. Fortnite is a popular online video game.

The boy was recently invited to the group by his classmates at Orchard, according to a probable cause affidavit filed Tuesday in Chelan County Superior Court.

On Monday, he allegedly told another boy he was going to shoot up the school on Tuesday, the affidavit states.

His friends thought the threat was credible enough to tell their parents, who called police, Hahn said.

In an interview with police Monday, the boy said he was joking and didn’t actually intend on bringing a gun to school, the affidavit said.

The boy was arrested at his home Monday evening on suspicion of harassment (threats to kill) and threats to bomb or injure property.

The boy is “not currently in attendance” at Orchard while the school works with police, said Diana Haglund, spokeswoman for the Wenatchee School District.

“As with all matters of student safety, we have taken this very seriously and have acted accordingly, utilizing both school system disciplinary resources and necessary law enforcement action,” Haglund said in an email. “We want to assure that the safety of our students is our top priority and that our schools have plans in place to address student issues such as this.”