PHOENIX (Reuters) – A 14-year-old Phoenix boy was arrested by sheriff’s deputies yesterday for threats made over the Internet to “go on a killing spree” and then commit suicide at his former middle school, authorities said.
The boy was taken into custody without incident at his home after posting the threats in the comments section of a YouTube music video for the hit song “Pumped Up Kicks,” said Sergeant Jessie Spurgin, a Maricopa County sheriff’s spokesman.
“He gave out a specific place and time for when it would happen,” Spurgin said. “That made it a little more credible in our eyes.”
Spurgin said a sawed-off shotgun was later found during a search of the boy’s north Phoenix home, where he lives with his grandfather. He said investigators were trying to determine if there was a connection between the threats and the weapon.
Spurgin said the boy, who was not identified, had admitted posting the threats on the site.
