A San Diego teen arrested in connection with three separate bomb threats made against Point Loma High School April 5 and 6 was linked to an online group suspected of making similar threats across the United States and Canada, police said Thursday.
The group is suspected of so-called "swatting" incidents in Georgia, Illinois, Michigan, Massachusetts, Texas and Ontario, Canada, according to a San Diego Police Department statement.
Swatting is the practice of triggering an emergency service response by falsely reporting a serious crime.
San Diego police said such threats are taken seriously and the level of their response is determined based on whatever information they receive. But, fraudulent threats often result in costly emergency responses, which can include deploying specialized personnel and equipment.
"However, when it is later determined that the information received was not only false but was delivered with the intent to cause a considerable emergency response, then the department is committed to conducting thorough investigations directed towards the arrest and prosecution of all persons involved and responsible for making these threats," according to the police statement.
The teen was taken into custody Wednesday after detectives served a search warrant at his home, and has been booked into Juvenile Hall, police said. The teen is a sophomore at Point Loma High School.
Police said other suspected members of the group had been arrested elsewhere in the country, and more arrests in connection with the hoaxes may be on the horizon. The investigation is ongoing.
