Philadelphia Police arrested a 16-year-old student after a school fight escalated into a smartphone gun threat.
Administrators at Olney Charter High School on W Duncannon Street sent a letter to parents about the arrest and the incidents that led up to it.
A 16-year-old girl told Philadelphia police she and some other students got into a fight with a 16-year-old boy Wednesday morning at school, said Philadelphia Police. Late Wednesday night, the girl received a series of texts from the boy in which he first threatened her then sent two photos of his hands gripping a handgun with violent wording attached, said investigators.
The girl showed the texts to her mother who then called police.
Investigators went to boys home and recovered a pellet gun that looked like a semi-automatic handgun, said police.
Officers from the 35th District arrested the boy, who wasn’t identified since he is a minor, and charged him with making terroristic threats, simple assault and reckless endangerment.
The school sent a letter home to parents Thursday that addressed the incident and identified the boy as a special education student who had transferred into the school about one month ago. [[360466611, C]]
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The school put security measures in place including having police on campus to ensure student safety.
“Measures include heightened security checks during school intake, throughout daily proceedings, and at afternoon dismissal,” said a letter from charter school operator ASPIRA Inc. of Pennsylvania.
ASPIRA said that counseling would be available to any student needing to talk about issues at the school including extra support for students with special needs.
