Teen in Britain arrested for making threatening calls to Scottsdale schools

PHOENIX – A teenager in Britain who made phone threats to Scottsdale schools and businesses was arrested this week, authorities said Thursday.

The Scottsdale Police Department said the minor was taken into custody Tuesday in the United Kingdom. He is accused of calling six schools and the district office to say he had a weapon and was going to “shoot up” specific schools.

Investigators said Scottsdale Preparatory Academy, Notre Dame Preparatory Academy and the Scottsdale Unified School District Office went into brief lockdowns because of the “swatting” calls that began April 8.

Pima Traditional School, Cheyenne Traditional School, Hohokam Elementary and Cochise Elementary also received the calls.

The boy also made similar threats to restaurants Tommy V’s and OHSO Brewery, Desert Schools Federal Credit Union and other Valley schools that Scottsdale police did not identify.

Police in England also accused him of accused of possessing and distributing “indecent images of children” across the internet.

“Our detectives, working with Homeland Security Investigations in Phoenix and London, were able to narrow down a suspect,” police spokesman Aaron Bolin told KTAR News 92.3 FM.

Authorities near Manchester, England, made the arrest. The boy will be prosecuted for the Scottsdale crimes through the United Kingdom judicial system, Bolin said.

Bolin said “swatting” calls are intended to create a police response.

“Those are particularly disruptive not only to the person on the receiving end, but it can be very challenging for law enforcement,” he said.

“Sometimes the swatters will try to overwhelm by calling in threats to multiple locations but we have great partnerships with other local agencies on the federal state and city level to help us manage those as well.”

KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Morae Jordane contributed to this report.

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