12-year-old girl arrested on suspicion of threatening to ‘shoot up’ Sanger school

A 12-year-old girl was arrested Thursday after allegedly using social media to threaten to “shoot up” Washington Academic Middle School in Sanger.

Police were alerted to the threat Wednesday and tied it to a similar one made the day before, Sanger police said in a news release. In the fist incident, a person posted a picture of a knife and threatened to kill someone.

Police and Sanger Unified School District responded by having a strong police presence at the school Thursday morning.

Investigators identified the suspect, who was questioned and her home searched for weapons. It doesn’t appear she had access to firearms, police said, and it is not likely she could have carried out the threat.

“The police department and school district officials have remained in close communication on this incident and worked collaboratively to bring this matter to a successful conclusion. We take all threats to school safety seriously and treat them as credible threats until proven otherwise,” Sanger police chief Silver Rodriguez said in the news release.

The girl is being booked into the Fresno County Juvenile Justice Facility on criminal charges related to the threat. The investigation is ongoing and anyone with information is encouraged to contact Sgt. Rey Carrillo at 559-399-8024.