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

A fifth grade student in Florida was arrested over the weekend and charged with sending a textual content message threatening to hold out a mass taking pictures, authorities stated.

In a statement Saturday, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office stated it had learned earlier that day of a "threatening text message" despatched by a pupil at an elementary school.

It mentioned its local school threat enforcement group was immediately notified and began investigating. The 10-year-old boy was interviewed and charged later with "making a written risk to conduct a mass taking pictures," the sheriff's workplace said.

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

“This scholar’s behavior is sickening, especially after the current tragedy in Uvalde, Texas,” Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno stated in a press release, noting that the threat got here just days after the lethal faculty taking pictures at Robb Elementary College left 19 students and two lecturers lifeless.

“Right now is not the time to act like just a little delinquent. It’s not humorous,” he said. “This baby made a pretend risk, and now he’s experiencing real consequences.”

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

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

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