A Florida Boy, 10, Was Just Arrested & Charged With Threatening A Mass Shooting

A Florida fifth-grader was arrested over the weekend after he sent out text messages threatening a mass shooting, according to the Lee County Sheriff's Office.

Authorities say they arrested the 10-year-old suspect on Saturday after they were told about threatening text messages sent by a student at Patriot Elementary School in Cape Coral.

"This student's behaviour is sickening, especially after the recent tragedy in Uvalde, Texas," said Sheriff Carmine Marceno in a release posted on the sheriff's office Facebook page. "Making sure our children are safe is paramount. We will have law and order in our schools! My team didn't hesitate one second…NOT ONE SECOND, to investigate this threat."

The texts included photos of cash and four AR-15 assault-style rifles, according to an arrest report obtained by local broadcaster WESH. "Get ready for water day," one of the texts read, according to the document.

The alleged mass shooting threat came less than a week after the Uvalde, Texas, school shooting, which left 19 students and two teachers dead at Robb Elementary School. Seventeen others were also injured.

Police initially took the boy in for questioning and later arrested and charged him with making a written threat to conduct a mass shooting.

"Right now is not the time to act like a little delinquent. It's not funny. This child made a fake threat, and now he's experiencing real consequences," said Marceno.

The sheriff's office also released video of the handcuffed boy being escorted to a police car.

The Youth Services Criminal Investigations Division has taken over the case.