A Rockville teen who posted a Snapchat photo of himself carrying an AR-15 rifle with loaded magazines and the words, “school shooter,” has been arrested after making threats against Walter Johnson High School in Bethesda, Montgomery County police announced Saturday.
Luis Amilcar Cabrera, 18, of the 200 block of Congressional Lane, a former Walter Johnson student, was arrested Thursday in Towson with the aid of Baltimore County police, according to a press statement from Montgomery County police. Based on the threats, detectives obtained a warrant for Cabrera’s arrest and he was charged Friday with one count of threatening mass violence. He was scheduled for a 1 p.m. bond hearing Monday in Montgomery County District Court in Rockville.
The arrest followed a police investigation that began when Walter Johnson students reported Oct. 12 to the school’s resource officer that they had seen the photo of Cabrera posted Oct. 5, among others, and threatening statements made by him on social media. The students also told the officer that Cabrera said he had posted “I hate WJ” and “Ha, ha, I’m going to shoot up the school” within the past month, the release said. In posted videos, Cabrera said he owns the AR-15 rifle and always carries it for protection; he also is seen holding a .40 caliber KelTek rifle, police said.
During an 8:30 hearing in District Court, authorities reported that on Feb. 23, Cabrera posted on social media that he hoped everyone at Walter Johnson High School would die. The school resource officer was aware of that threat, the authorities said. Also, authorities said Cabrera was arrested at the home owned by the person who also owned the weapons that Cabrera was holding in the social media photos.
The nature of the hearing before Judge John Moffett involved discussion of the use of an Extreme Risk Protection Order, under a law that became effective Oct. 1. The law allows the court to issue a civil order requiring a person to surrender all firearms or ammunition to law enforcement and to not purchase any firearms or ammunition.
Montgomery County Public Schools spokesperson Derek Turner said Cabrera did not graduate from Walter Johnson High School, and “withdrew before graduation.”
Turner praised the students who told authorities about the alleged threat.
“We commend the students who came forward to keep their school and classmates safe,” he said in a statement. “MCPS has invested millions of dollars in school safety and security, however no resource is as valuable as students and staff who are vigilant in their commitment to safety.”
Walter Johnson Principal Jennifer Baker sent a letter to families of students at the high school over the weekend, outlining the alleged threats and also commending the students who came forward with information.
“Because of this decision our (school resource officer) was able to work with her colleagues to keep our school and community safe,” she wrote.