A 15-year-old Matanzas High School student became the second Flagler County school student this year to be arrested Monday and charged with making written threats to kill, a second degree felony, after he circulated a brief SnapChat video showing him with a long gun and a threatening caption: “I got sum for y’all just wait till 2:15.”
The student did not deny sending the video, but said it was in answer to being almost “jumped” in a school bathroom earlier in the day.
The video was viewed by a Daytona State College student who graduated from Matanzas last year but who was still on the 15-year-old student’s SnapChat account. Knowing that the 15 year old was at Matanzas, the college student immediately screen-recorded the SnapChat message and contacted 911 in Flagler.
Deputy Nicholas Champion, the school resource deputy assigned to Matanzas, investigated the incident. The student was initially pulled from class and searched out of fear that he could have a weapon on campus. Champion then interviewed the student, who agreed to speak with the deputy after getting his Miranda rights. Champion told the student he was not under arrest at the time of the interview, but also that the student was not free to leave, according to the student’s subsequent arrest report. The student told Champion that
The student said that during third period he was in the bathroom with another student “when seven unknown males entered the bathroom acted as if they were going to ‘jump’ him,” the report states. The 15 year old said he got into a verbal altercation with them, but left the bathroom without fighting. Tom Wooleyhan, the dean of students, told Champion that during the same period, the 15 year old walked into a class to which he was not assigned and told another student that he would spit in his face and mess him up.
The 15 year old acknowledged the incident and said that student was one of the seven who’d walked into the bathroom as if to mess him up. “The dean’s office was actively investigating this claim and is trying to identify who the other students were, but were only able to identify two kids as of
now,” the report states. More follow-ups are expected Tuesday.
In response to what he perceived as threats from the seven individuals, the 15 year old then sent the SnapChat video to them, “to let them know who they were messing with,” the report states, “and that he would fight them after school.” The student claimed the video in question was old, though he had resent it today, and that the long gun in it was a prop from a music video called “Run It,” by Yung Flag, he’d been in several weeks ago. The video begins with a disclaimer in capital letters: “ALL FIREARMS IN THIS VIDEO ARE PROPS FOR ENTERTAINMENT USE ONLY.”
The student was arrested and charged with making written threats to kill. He was processed at the local jail and turned over to juvenile justice in Daytona Beach, where he was to be held or returned to his parents, depending on his record.
“We cannot stress the fact enough that we have a zero tolerance policy in Flagler County and making a threat will be taken seriously,” Sheriff Rick Staly said. “Whether you think it is a joke or not, making a threat is a crime with serious consequences. Any and all threats will be investigated. I am thankful for the anonymous person who called to alert us to the video. Parents, talk to your kids.”
Less than two weeks into this school year, a 14-year-old Flagler Palm Coast High School student faced an identical charge after making written threats on Instagram, off campus.
Brian Goyétt-LaFountaine says
From what I read, (like the saying… “I got sum fo yall”, Im guessing ‘sum’ was meant to mean, ‘Something for you all’), two things come to mind. One… They need to worry more about English class than rap videos and Two, these are want to be (Wanna’be) thugs, that clearly could never get through a job interview and think like millions of other kids, who think they are going to be a world famous rapper, with gold teeth (why do they want teeth to look yellow? I always thought bright and white is what humans strive for) and/or diamond teeth, gaudy ugly think chains, pants with their Crack showing (Gross! AF), spending all their ‘Well Earned’ (Eyes rolling back to my receding hairline) money making it rain in the strip clubs (instead of paying their countless child support payments that I, as a taxpayer end of paying) and then find religion and become some backwoods Pastor or sadly, and more likely, dead from a stupid rival gang senseless grudge. Where is their parents (Or more likely grandparents) keeping their a** at home, off social media, making them study and becoming a contributing part of society. They all think they are the next ‘Fitty or Diddy’. They will all end up in Starke, Fl or the like if their parents don’t put their foot down. Just the screen grab above of the video tells you they aren’t going to be your next neighborhood pharmacist, or utility engineer. And when statistics back facts, it’s not profiling (so don’t even go there), because I’m black myself from Montreal, Canada but have lived here for fifty-one years and Flagler since 1977 when Palm Coast Parkway was dirt and have a doctorate in Sociology. It’s facts and Stats, nothing more or less. The above is our future! We have to Head-Hunt high-tech workers from other countries because our own are too busy trying to be rappers and end up, sadly, thugs.
Rae says
The only reason they have a zero tolerance policies for threats is that he is black. Lets take it back when it was the 2 white kids talking about they were PLANNING to kill their teacher and nobody would care because she was black. Not only is this was a threat but a hate crime. They were so hesitant and making excuses that they didn’t not do anything to them kids until the NAACP came
Nursejones says
When will these kids learn? “It’s no joke” means IT’S NO JOKE! Social media needs to be banned for anyone under 18…. these kids are obviously too immature!
Brian Goyétt-LaFountaine says
Oh jeeze.. Here we go again, blacks can do no wrong because they are black. STOP!… and you are wrong, the circumstance was different. Equal rights, yes… Special rights, No… Being black isn’t a get out of free card!
Lois says
Did I miss reading in the article where it mentioned the color of his skin? I do not feel that this boy should be charged with a felony. Devils advocate. I think social media has way to much influence on our youth and gives them an opportunity to say something that they wouldn’t normally say. I do think there should be consequences for his actions, but a felony….no. But I think when you bring race into it, it’s just hurting us even more. Unless I missed it in the article, it was not mentioned. We can’t talk to our kids about racism or profiling when we are still doing it. If the article is accurate and he was afraid of being jumped by 7 people, that needs to be addressed as well. Our children should not have to worry about going to the bathroom at school and be jumped. Looked at the # of juvenile’s that are baker acted in this county every day. We need to focus on that. I am no means saying that any threat of violence is ok, but we need to look deeper.
MM says
So now it’s a Race thing ?Come on you know and so does everyone else,these kids r up to no good and trying to be thugs.Everyrime something happens it’s a race thing .People need to stick together instead of always trying to divide everyone we all live in United States we all need to stick together.
Blissful says
I’m sorry, I do find this story very disheartening BUT I’m totally confused with this “0 tolerance policy” they are talking about… last year when my child was being harassed AND threatened on social media and by text message, I was told there was NOTHING they could do because it happened OFF CAMPUS!!! WTF?
Blissful says
When did this happen??
ASF says
A reality check is needed by all the kids in this picture–not just the kid making the threats.
Wink at them today, wave bye-bye to them tomorrow as they are carted away to a new home behind bars.
Derrick Redder says
When you can’t or refuse to accept a decision based on facts. You ignorantly bet the house by pulling the race card .
Color aside, how can a deputy institute a maranda warning and then solicit information from a minor without a parent or appointed guardian present?
Any statements other than spontaneous are not admissable .
In this one case in the end, nothing will be come of it other than a waste of the property taxpayers money.
deb says
Lock the parents up, it all begins at home.
Mary Fusco says
Not only are they immature, they have no parenting and have no idea that high school is a stepping stone to their future. When my kids were in high school, they all went to school, worked after school and then did homework. Graduated at the top of their class and went on to college to have successful careers and raise families. These are the same fools that a couple of years down the road, will be walking with signs to demand $15 an hour to flip burgers. Very sad but it goes back to parenting.
Randy Jones says
“I got sum for y’all just wait till 2:15.” Dollar to a dime he “walks” because there was no SPECIFIC threat to harm others.
Brian Goyétt-LaFountaine says
Yes, you did miss the race issue, it didn’t have to say they were black, there is a screen grab of them in the video at the top of the article. They are clearly black and their ‘Drag’ is clearly wanna’be Thug/Gangsta. The article stated the song/video and artist. So, yeah.. YOU DID MISS THAT PART. Just answering your question. PS: It seems to me that the majority of people that pull the race card these days are not white anymore, it’s now overwhelmingly Black’s that play it, and it’s becoming their “Carté Blanche, Get Out Of Everything Free Card, BECAUSE they are black. That’s going to soon backfire because the majority of people, including me, Want equal rights for ALL..but not SPECIAL Rights.
palmcoaster says
Much appreciated to the college student that reported the threat to the sheriff. The community is a responsible together with our law enforcement to help to resolve and stop these incidents before a tragedy takes place. We need to work together with our law and code enforcement to preserve our safety and quality of life as when we work together problems are resolved as I experienced with our current Sheriff Staly and also City of Palm Coast Code Enforcement Manager Mrs. Grossman. Is up to us all.
Mary Fusco says
Blissful, what exactly would you expect the school to do? If my child had a fight with the neighbor kid after school, I wouldn’t go to the school, I would go to the parents. Why do kids give out their cell phone # to anyone. Take these kids off of social media and let them grow emotionally. Play a sport and do anything except stare at a screen day and night.