Quartet of fifth graders arrested in Surprise for threatening fellow student
Oct 3, 2024, 3:00 PM
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PHOENIX — Four fifth graders were arrested in Surprise on Wednesday after threatening another student, authorities said.
The students at Legacy Traditional Schools intended to harm their fellow classmate but their plan was foiled by other children who reported the threat, according to the Surprise Police Department.
“This investigation is the result of brave students reporting dangerous activity to their school staff, who quickly involved their assigned school resource officer to ensure the safety of the student and school,” Surprise Police Chief Benny Piña said in a press release.
The students, who were not armed, were detained without incident. They admitted to making the threats to the other student and were released to their parents.
The fifth graders will be charged with one count of threatening and one count of disorderly conduct, both misdemeanors.
Legacy Traditional Schools’ Surprise campus is located near Sweetwater and Bullard avenues.
Anyone with more information on the incident should call Surprise Police at 623-222-4000 or 623-222-8477.
Fifth graders arrested: What other school threats have been reported in the Valley?
The start of the 2024-25 school year has seen quite the uptick in school threats across metro Phoenix.
On Wednesday, Sierra Linda High School in west Phoenix was locked down for several hours after multiple school threats were posted to social media.
Last week, the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office said it had received 11 cases involving school threats by minors since the start of September.