ROYSE CITY, Texas — A male student at Royse City High School was detained Friday for making an alleged threat toward the campus while he was headed to the school's pep rally.
The 16-year-old student was charged with terroristic threat, a 3rd degree felony, according to the Royse City Police Department.
Police say the student was heading to Friday's pep rally and "yelled out in a crowd that he had a gun and a bomb." A teacher heard the comment and prevented the student from going into the pep rally and alerted school administrators and a School Resource Officer.
Royse City PD said the student was unarmed and claimed he was joking. The student was detained and later taken to a juvenile detention center.
The department also said officers stopped by the student's home to ensure he had no access to firearms or explosive materials. Police said they found nothing during their visit.
Royse City police remind all students and parents that any comments about shootings and bombs will be taken seriously.
"This unfortunate incident is another example of young people needing to understand that there are serious consequences tied to this type of criminal behavior," Royse City PD said in a statement.
Earlier this week, Royse City ISD posted a PSA titled “Your Words Matter," featuring School Resource Officers and RCISD school officials discussing the importance of “Think Before You Speak."
"These baseless threats to school safety cause a great deal of concern among students, staff and families," Royse PD said.