Florida fifth grader arrested, charged with threatening a mass capturing, police say

A fifth grade student in Florida was arrested over the weekend and charged with sending a text message threatening to hold out a mass shooting, authorities said.

In a press release Saturday, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office said it had learned earlier that day of a "threatening textual content message" sent by a pupil at an elementary school.

It mentioned its native school threat enforcement team was instantly notified and started investigating. The 10-year-old boy was interviewed and charged later with "making a written threat to conduct a mass taking pictures," the sheriff's office mentioned.

In video shared by authorities, the boy can be seen being led right into a police vehicle.

“This scholar’s habits is sickening, particularly after the latest tragedy in Uvalde, Texas,” Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno stated in a statement, noting that the risk got here simply days after the lethal school taking pictures at Robb Elementary School left 19 college students and two teachers lifeless.

“Proper now is not the time to behave like a bit of delinquent. It’s not funny,” he stated. “This youngster made a fake threat, and now he’s experiencing real penalties.”

Marceno mentioned his crew “didn’t hesitate one second...NOT ONE SECOND,” to investigate the incident.

The comment got here as authorities in Uvalde face mounting criticism over their response to the Might 24 college capturing after it got here to gentle that they waited roughly an hour for backup instead of immediately shifting in on the gunman.

Chantal Da Silva is a breaking news editor for NBC News Digital primarily based in London.