PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — An 18-year-old student has been arrested after deputies say he threatened to shoot up his school if he didn't win a senior superlative award. Investigators say the young man told them it was just a joke.
Isaac Meyers was arrested Tuesday night.
The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office said an administrator at Dixie Hollins High School was told that after Meyers didn't win, he allegedly said "don't come to school" on Wednesday.
Law enforcement was notified, and deputies arrested Meyers just before 10 p.m. Tuesday at his home in Clearwater.
"Meyers admitted to making the statements to a friend, but in a joking manner," the sheriff's office wrote in a statement. "Meyers stated he made the statements verbally and also sent text messages to his friend over the Facebook Messenger application."
According to authorities, Meyers said he didn't have access to guns and never intended to hurt anyone. The sheriff's office confirmed there were no firearms at the house.
With Meyers' permission, deputies say they looked at Facebook messages and claim he wrote: "I hate everything and im gonna shoot up our school."
A screenshot from law enforcement shows the messages also say: "i wanna hurt someone" and "I just hate everything and want everyone to know it."
Meyers was arrested and charged with making threatening communications or threats of a mass shooting.
He was taken to the Pinellas County Jail.
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