Miami teen investigated for threats against Calif. high school

Police believe 17-year-old boy stole girl's online identity

MIAMI – A Miami teenager is being investigated after he made deadly threats at a California high school, using the stolen identity of a teenage girl, police said.

According to police in Escondido, Calif., the 17-year-old boy posted threats in the anonymous chat room platform Omegle in January. The messages, which appeared to have been written by a local teenage girl, claimed plans to shoot up an Escondido charter school before committing suicide.

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KGTV, the ABC affiliate in San Diego, reports the high school and four other local schools were closed for the day Jan. 17 as a precaution.

Detectives have tracked the threats to the alleged bully and as of Wednesday were in Miami interviewing the accused teen. KGTV reports he no longer has access to his computer.

Authorities believe the boy and the Escondido girl, who does not attend the school, do not know each other personally. Instead, it appears the teens met in an online chat room.

Police said he stole her identity after he was offended by something she said.

"What we have is an absolutely innocent victim," Escondido police Lt. Neal Griffin said. "She wound up having a cyber-relationship, nothing more than (a) chat room relationship, but with a person who decided he had been offended in some way, and lashed out with this message."

KGTV reports the boy could be charged with a felony in a Miami federal court.