Teen Charged With Making Racist Threats In Charlottesville, Virginia; Schools Closed For 2nd Day
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WJZ) — A 17-year-old boy was arrested by police in Charlottesville, Virginia after making racist threats against area schools, closing the public schools for two days.
The unidentified teen was of Portuguese descent and not a student at Charlottesville High School but is a resident of Albemarle County.
In a press conference Friday, police said the teen made the threat on the online message board 4chan and wanted to injure students of color. He used the term "ethnic cleansing"
The teen faces a felony charge of threatening to commit seriously bodily harm on school property. He's also charged with a misdemeanor count of harassment by computer.
The school system's nine schools were closed Thursday and Friday.
Superintendent Rosa Atkins told families the threat was "racially charged."
Charlottesville police said the threat targeted Charlottesville High School.
"The safety of students and staff at Charlottesville City Schools is of the upmost importance. This threat remains under investigation and we are urging anyone with information to call police," the police chief said.
Man Who Rammed Car Into Crowd In Charlottesville Convicted Of First-Degree Murder
Charlottesville was the site of a white nationalist rally in 2017. A 32-year-old counter protester was fatally struck by a car.
Schools are expected to reopen Monday.
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Some reporting from the Associated Press was used in this story.
