The Metropolitan Police Department has arrested a 16-year-old boy in connection to bomb threats against eight Washington, D.C., schools, authorities announced Thursday.
It’s unclear whether the boy, a resident of Southeast D.C., was responsible for all eight threats, the MPD told the Washington Examiner. The incidents are still under investigation.
SEVEN DC PUBLIC SCHOOLS EVACUATED FOLLOWING MULTIPLE BOMB THREATS
The teenager has been charged with terrorist threats after the schools were evacuated and searched Wednesday for hazardous items. Police confirmed hours later that no bombs were found.
Update: a 16-year old juvenile male, of Southeast, DC, has been arrested and charged with Terroristic Threats in connection to multiple bomb threats yesterday. MPD continues to investigate these incidents with our federal partners.
— DC Police Department (@DCPoliceDept) February 10, 2022
Six high schools were initially targeted with bomb threats Wednesday afternoon, including Dunbar High School, Theodore Roosevelt High School, Ron Brown High School, KIPP DC College Preparatory, IDEA Public Charter School, and Seed Public Charter School. Police later confirmed that McKinley Technology High School and Friendship Public Charter School also received threats.
The threats came one day after Vice President Kamala Harris’s husband, Doug Emhoff, was evacuated from a Washington, D.C., classroom after a separate bomb threat on Tuesday. Police later confirmed there was no credible threat after evacuating and searching the building.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
There has been a rise in crime in Washington, D.C., over the last few years, reflecting a larger trend as crime rates surge nationwide.
The murder rate in the United States rose 30% between 2019 and 2020, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A Pew Research Center analysis of the data said the jump was the largest single-year increase since at least 1905.
The MPD said it would continue investigating the threats with its federal partners, including the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.
