15-Year-Old Boy Arrested For Making Threats About Being The Next Mass Shooter

A 15-year-old boy in Florida was arrested for making threats online about being the next mass shooter.

The Volusia County Sheriff's Office said it was informed about the threats Tuesday and took the boy into custody. The Port Orange teenager later told detectives that he was joking about the dangerous threats he made.

The sheriff's office said the teenager wrote a series of threatening messages on Discord, an online chat service that is widely used among gamers. The messages came to light after officials received an anonymous tip, according to WFLA News Channel 8.

"One day my name and face will be all over the news and everyone will wish they took me seriously," the teenager stated in one of the posts and said he would be "the next greenwood mall shooter" in another message.

The sheriff's office said some of the messages the teenager posted on Discord included "I am the next greenwood mall shooter," "I will kill (epithet for Hispanic people)," and "I am 100% Serouse everything I have said is 100% real and I am not or never have been joking."

"I must become Patrick crusis 22 bozos," he wrote in another message.

One post also included a photo of rifles and a shotgun with the message: "Im going to put these to good use (smiley Emoji)."

The anonymous tip to the FBI led to the discovery of the messages, after which an investigation began. Officials determined that the person behind the messages was in the Volusia County area.

Local law enforcement agencies then became involved in the investigation, ClickOrlando reported.

"The Sheriff's Office was notified of the threats today and responded along with the Port Orange Police Department to 15-year-old Jacob Long's home, where he was taken into custody," the Volusia County Sheriff's Office said in a Tuesday statement.

Officials did not find any weapons during the investigation.

Detectives interviewed the teenager and he said he was joking in all the posts.

"Jacob advised he was joking in all of the posts, including the one saying he is not and never has been joking," the statement added.

The teenager, charged with making written threats to kill, a felony, is being held at the Department of Juvenile Justice.