FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Police say a 16-year-old South Florida high school student was arrested after authorities found a loaded firearm in a small bag.
The arrest came as multiple schools across South Florida remained on lockdown following viral TikTok posts alluding to unconfirmed threats of violence that raised anxiety levels at schools nationwide.
Miramar police spokeswoman Tania Rues says the Miramar High School junior was detained Friday and searched due to his demeanor.
He's been charged with possession of a firearm on school grounds after police found a loaded handgun, The Associated Press reports.
The student is reportedly not cooperating with detectives, and investigators don't know as of now why he had the gun, AP explained.
No evidence of threats were found posted online by the teen and it's unclear if this incident is connected to the TikTok trend, the media outlet says.
“We are under attack by a social media platform that will not intervene when it is necessary,” AP reports interim superintendent Vickie Cartwright said during a news conference Friday. “I’m asking for our federal government at this point in time to intervene. We need help.
"I cannot fathom that any other country would allow this type of attack to be occurring on their education system.”
As of Friday afternoon, Tampa Bay school districts and law enforcement agencies had not reported any incidents but they were aware of the rumors and took steps to investigate the credibility.
In Citrus County, one student was arrested and six others disciplined after investigators followed up on threats specific to schools in the district. No other information was provided.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office had not heard of any threats specific to their schools but a spokesperson pointed to a PSA on the topic of TikTok a few months ago. You can find it here. The sheriff's office warned kids about participating in trends that cause harm to others or property damage.
Many viral posts with nationwide reach tend to be vague and general but can still cause anxiety and fear in a community. It's always best to report a threat and not share it online.
Pasco County Schools asked students at one high school not to bring backpacks to school on Friday after receiving a threat overnight.
"That’s one of our strategies, we just tell folks don’t bring backpacks to school because we don’t have metal detectors that would prevent someone from bringing a weapon to school," Stephen Hegarty with Pasco County Schools said.
10 Tampa Bay's Courtney Holland contributed to this report.
