Dallas

Student Threatens Violence at Dallas Charter School: Police

Dallas police said a 12-year-old student has been arrested after an alleged threat to cause violence at an Oak Cliff charter school.

During a news conference Thursday evening, Dallas Assistant Police Chief Randy Blankenbaker said the student — whose identity was not released because of his age — attends Trinity Basin Preparatory School in the 800 block of East 8th Street.

Blankenbaker said the student allegedly approached a classmate several times in the past month and announced he was going to shoot up the school. The classmate thought he was joking until Thursday, when the student showed a written diagram detailing his plot.

The classmate told administrators, who found the diagram in the 12-year-old student's hand, and they contacted police.

"This young man was very courageous," Blankenbaker said. "He did what he needed to do to protect himself and his classmates, and he is to be commended for that." 

Police would not go into specifics about the diagram.

"An average person would see this diagram and it could them grave concern," Blankenbaker said. "A reasonable person would see this diagram and they would believe that he intended to carry out his threats."

Investigators do not know if the student actually had access to weapons, but he is charged with the exhibition of firearms, a third-degree felony, for the alleged threat.

The student was transported to the Henry Wade Juvenile Justice Center and charged with exhibiting a firearm, authorities said. The boy did not have a firearm, but authorities said the code includes threats to use firearms.

According to the school's website, Trinity Basin Preparatory is a tuition-free open enrollment public charter school founded in 1998, and enrollment is open to students residing within the school’s designated geographic boundary.

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