10 school threats in Houston in just one week
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- The FBI is encouraging everyone to think before they hit the post or send button online.
In the last week, FBI Special Agent Brian Grehoski said they have investigated 10 threats of violence against schools in the Houston area.
The bureau cannot comment on specifics of the incidents, but said the comments were made by people as young as 12 years old.
"In those 10 instances, all 10 people were identified and they were confronted," Grehoski said.
Oscar Rincon, a University of Houston-Downtown student, was arrested for making terroristic threats on social media this week.
In court Thursday, attorneys said Snapchat flagged a video the 19-year old posted and alerted law enforcement.
When Houston police went to his house, attorneys say Rincon told police he got a traffic ticket on the way to campus and found out once he arrived that his class was canceled.
"He went on Snapchat and posted a video on Snapchat of the empty classroom, and then made a comment on the Snapchat that he was fixing to shoot up the school," Assistant District Attorney Matthew Gilliam said.
Gilliam said Rincon told police it was a joke.
"Whatever the intent is, it's sort of irrelevant," Grehoski said. "The FBI and the state and local police, we take them seriously."
The FBI said they rely on the public to call in anything they stumble across on social media that seems suspicious.
"They range from, 'Yeah I'm going to shoot this place up,' to 'Hey, shooters unite, we are going to school tomorrow,'" Grehoski said.
People can contact their local law enforcement or Crime Stoppers to report suspicious posts. They can also call the FBI at 713-693-5000.
