Arrests made in connection with school threat incidents: Buckeye PD

Students accused of making threats: Buckeye PD

Police in Buckeye say they have arrested a 13-year-old and a 17-year-old in connection with two separate school safety threat incidents.

PHOENIX - Buckeye Police say they have made arrests in connection with two separate incidents involving school threats.

In a statement released on Sept. 12, police identified the two suspects as a 13-year-old girl who attends Bales Elementary School and a 17-year-old boy who attends Buckeye Union High School. Both were arrested on Sept. 12.

Per investigators, they have received over 300 reports regarding threats of shootings at schools across the city in the past week.

"None of the reported threats were found to be credible," read a portion of the statement.

In the case involving the 13-year-old, police say she was arrested after they received a tip from the Arizona Counter Terrorism Information Center on threats of a school shooting in Buckeye.

As for the 17-year-old, investigators say he was arrested following an on-campus incident. In a separate statement, Buckeye Union High School District officials said the incident began with a text that was shared around the school.

"The text reported that the student had seen another student with a gun in the restroom. The school was placed in a modified lockdown or ‘hold’ while staff and law enforcement investigated the text," read a portion of the statement. "That investigation led to the original student who had created the text confessing that they had made up the story and had never seen a gun."

In their statement, Buckeye Police said the 17-year-old is facing both criminal charges and school discipline.