One of the schools was targeted after receiving a threat during a visit by Douglas Emhoff, Vice President Kamala Harris’ husband.
Authorities have announced that a 16-year old boy was arrested and charged with terroristic threats following bomb threats Wednesday to several predominantly Black schools in Washington, D.C.
One of the schools was targeted by a threat received just a few days earlier , during a visit by Doug Emhoff.
The 16-year old was arrested by the Metropolitan Police Department in a statement on Thursday. According to the agency, it was continuing to investigate the bomb threats together with federal partners.
Police stated Wednesday that at most eight schools were under threat, including four public high schools as well as four charter schools. Police said that at least some schools had to be evacuated.
Police said that all schools were cleared of hazardous material. One school was not in session at the time of the threat.
The most recent data available on the D.C. According to the School Report Card website, at most seven of eight schools that were targeted had a majority Black student body.
The Dunbar High School was one of them. Emhoff, the husband of Vice President Kamala Harris, had to be evacuated after a bomb threat Tuesday. The second man was visiting the school to celebrate Black History Month.
Authorities claimed that Emhoff was not the target of the Dunbar incident, which is the first school for Black Americans in America. They did not mention that race was a factor.
However, the bomb threats came after a string Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCUs) were targeted with bomb threats. The threats began in the lead up to Black History Month with at least a dozen threats being made on the first of each month.
The FBI is currently investigating the matter, although no explosives were found.
Six “tech-savvy” juveniles were identified earlier this month by the FBI as persons in interest in the probe. The threats were made by six juveniles who are believed to be motivated by racism, according to a law enforcement official.
D.C. Police claimed that H.D. had been cleared by investigators. After receiving additional threats, police said that H.D. was cleared by investigators at McKinley Tech High school, Woodson High School, McKinley Tech High Schools, IDEA Public Charter Academy, Cesar Chavez Public Charter High School and Cordozo Education campus
Harris condemned the threats in a statement Wednesday. He stated that “Americans have the right to be protected at work, at home, and at school.”
She stated, “We must resist any threat to violence in our communities.”
D.C. Public Schools Chief Lewis Ferebee stated that they were “troublesome instances that we take very seriously.”
He said that the school system would continue to support its school communities while the investigation into the threats continues.