Today, on May 25, 2022, at about 9:44 a.m. the Fremont Police Department received notice from American High School personnel of a student making threats via social media. Patrol and School Resource Officers (SROs) responded to begin an investigation. The investigation revealed that the student threatened gun violence towards a school employee and also contained numerous racial epithets. SROs immediately began an investigation into this matter while working closely with the Fremont Unified School District (FUSD).
As a result of the investigation, the SRO unit positively identified the student making the threatening posts. Once the student was identified, the student and his parents were contacted by officers at a location away from the school. The student was arrested and booked at juvenile hall for felony terrorist threats and a hate crime. A search warrant was served at the student’s home, where numerous pieces of evidence were recovered. No firearm was located.
While numerous subjects were involved in this conversation, the student who was arrested made direct threats of gun violence towards the school employee. The student also made comments about committing additional gun violence at an unnamed secondary school. At this time, we believe that only the arrested student had made any threats of gun violence. The investigation is ongoing to determine if there are other victims or potential charges on other subjects involved. All other involved students have been identified and are currently being addressed by FUSD staff. The arrested student is a 17-year-old male, and due to his age, his identity will not be released. Based on the nature of the threats, no further information will be provided regarding the victim.
“Shortly after I sent my earlier community message, I was contacted by field personnel who were actively investigating this incident. SROs were on-scene and gathering additional facts which later confirmed that the incident was a direct threat to a school employee and also a hate crime. I am extremely proud of the SRO’s and detectives who took immediate action upon receiving this information. I am also thankful for the community members and parents who came forward, as well as the students who notified their parents of the concerning messages.
The Fremont Police Department is committed to the safety of our community and schools. Considering recent events, I want to ensure the public that school safety is our top priority. I have directed additional patrol checks towards all school campuses, including resources from specialized units.”
Chief Sean Washington
If anyone has information that could help with this investigation, please contact SRO Sergeant Calvin Tang at 510-790-6743 or via email [email protected].
We also accept and welcome anonymous tips. To send a web tip, go to https://local.nixle.com/tip/alert/5788118 or text your tip, by typing TIP FREMONTPD followed by your short message to 888777.
Incident: Terrorist threats and hate crime investigation
Report Number: 220525014
Location(s): American High School, Fremont, CA
Media Contact: Lt. Ricardo Cortes, [email protected]
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