Xbox Live chatter between a Canadian and a Texan turned serious when the latter gamer disclosed plans to shoot up his high school.
The Texas gamer began by detailing his troubles in school to a Port Alberni, British Columbia Xbox Live opponent, which was normal enough, but eventually the Texas gamer spilled details on plans for attacking his school, including rattling off the names of fellow students he was going to target.
The talk alarmed the B.C. gamer enough that he contacted local Royal Canadian Mounted Police personnel, who started a cyber investigation. The RCMP contacted Microsoft and were eventually directed to a teenage suspect in San Antonio, Texas, who was arrested and is facing untold charges.
Port Alberni RCMP Staff Sgt. Lee Omilusik commented on the case:
This incident demonstrates the power of the electronic world and how different enforcement agencies can quickly work together to protect the citizens they serve, regardless of obstacles such as international barriers
The arrested boy was 16-years old and a student at John Marshall High School. The school issued a short message (PDF) to parents indicating that the boy would be removed from school “indefinitely.”
Local ABC station KSAT indicated that the gamers were playing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.
Thanks Andrew and whoever posted about it in the Shoutbox!
Comments
Re: Xbox Live Threats Lead to Arrest, Stop Potential School ...
Some kids these days just need to shut their mouths. A school shooting the next day? Really?!?!?!! Omg & from the kid being in San Antonio, Texas; I have been there for vacation & it is hot & beautiful down there, but there are tons of hispanics there. I bet it was a hispanic 16 yro that made the threat too. Or if he was half hispanic & half American. They are the worst, no offense, to anyone on here that is either.
"It's better to be hated for who you are, then be loved for who you are not." - Montgomery Gentry
Re: Xbox Live Threats Lead to Arrest, Stop Potential School ...
Why is it that whenever someone says 'no offense' they have always just said or are going to say something extremely offensive? Oh right, because you're an idiot.
Re: Xbox Live Threats Lead to Arrest, Stop Potential School ...
That has to be one of the dumbest things i have read this week. Its idoits like you that start every sentence with " I'm not racist but.....". Do everyone a favor and end your life.
Re: Xbox Live Threats Lead to Arrest, Stop Potential School ...
"After an investigation, police determined the suspect wasn't serious about the threats, and have charged him with making a false alarm or report, a felony in San Antonio. The school as issued a short message to parents that the suspect will be removed from school indefinitely."
From The Escapists article (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/98361-Teen-Arrested-for-Making...)
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I LIKE the fence. I get 2 groups to laugh at then.
Re: Xbox Live Threats Lead to Arrest, Stop Potential School ...
Thanks Andrew and whoever posted about it in the Shoutbox!
I Partially assisted in getting the info over to GP from Kotaku
Watching JT on GP is just like watching an episode of Jerry springer only as funny as the fights
Watching JT on GP is just like watching an episode of Jerry springer only as funny as the fights
Re: Xbox Live Threats Lead to Arrest, Stop Potential School ...
"...The chat then took a more ominous turn as the student detailed plans to take part in a shooting at his school the following day..."
"...RCMP contacted Microsoft Law Enforcement Security... The information was passed to San Antonio police department and their investigation led to the arrest of a teenage suspect..."
One thing that makes me think the whole story is BS - is that the kid apparently said he was planning to attack his classmates the very next day. Now if that's the case, I find it difficult to believe that police in two different countries, as well as Microsoft security and local police in Texas, were able to mount not one but TWO investigations into this and stop the kid - all in less than 24 hours. Heck, the CIA and the FBI couldn't get together to stop 9/11, and they had weeks - and they expect me to believe that police in Canada could alert Microsoft, then they could investigate, find evidence, contact local police in Texas, then the Texas police could do their own investigation and take down this kid - all overnight? I think someone has been watching too many episodes of the show "24".
More likely, this kid said he was planning to attack students the very next day. The Canadian gamer called the Canadian police immediately. The next day they phoned Microsoft. Then Microsoft probably contacted Texas law enforcement and they spent weeks looking into it and finally arrested the kid about 6 weeks after the initial call. In the meantime the supposed maniac had done nothing violent at all.
I see a wrongful arrest lawsuit in this kid's future, followed by an investigation into how it takes law enforcement weeks to counter a supposedly imminent threat.
Now if all this was indeed done in 24 hours, I say bravo! But I just don't see it as at all likely.
Re: Xbox Live Threats Lead to Arrest, Stop Potential School ...
You'll be surprised. I know there was a story about how someone had a deadly asthma attack, and could only ask help though the chatroom she was on at the time. She was in a country like Norway (or around there), and a person from North America helped the police find this person before the girl died.
As much as the story may seem silly (Even if I can't talk in a time like this, just calling 911 would be enough to send an investigation. Who would use a chatroom to ask help) it was a real reported incident.
Re: Xbox Live Threats Lead to Arrest, Stop Potential School ...
Wow, dude.. This entire post is nothing but pure, uninformed speculation.
You know that it takes only a few seconds to dial the phone, right?
I don't doubt what this article states. They probably got in touch with Microsoft shortly after recieving the complaint. All Microsoft needed to do is match the gamertag with a person. Probably not that hard, given that they are the ones who run the system.
It honestly doesn't surprise me that they'd be able find enough evidence to arrest the kid in less than 24 hours..
Believe me, if they had someone assigned to this case around the clock, they could get a LOT of stuff done in that period of time.
Re: Xbox Live Threats Lead to Arrest, Stop Potential School ...
Because of course, police NEVER big themselves up.
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I LIKE the fence. I get 2 groups to laugh at then.
Re: Xbox Live Threats Lead to Arrest, Stop Potential School ...
They just heard: "videogames" and "school shotting". Then they shat bricks...
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Re: Xbox Live Threats Lead to Arrest, Stop Potential School ...
I don't usually agree with those who say that videogames cause people to be violent, but Modern Warfare 2 is such a load of garbage that I think it could drive someone to violence.
Re: Xbox Live Threats Lead to Arrest, Stop Potential School ...
Kotaku reported it first, although this article on GP now say the guy play Modern Warfare 2.
http://kotaku.com/5471428/xbox-live-player-catches-suspected-school-shooter-[updated]
Re: Xbox Live Threats Lead to Arrest, Stop Potential School ...
Yep... it was Modern Warfare 2 that probably made him want to shoot up his school.
Re: Xbox Live Threats Lead to Arrest, Stop Potential School ...
cue the anti-game people and politics claiming this game made the kid want to shoot up school.