A Maryland high school student was arrested and charged with threat of mass violence after police say they discovered evidence revealing the teen had plans to commit a school shooting, authorities said Thursday.
The arrest on Wednesday came after authorities discovered a 129-page document they say was written by 18-year-old Alex Ye, the Montgomery County Department of Police said in a news release Thursday.
Authorities learned of the writings following an exchange Ye had via Instagram messaging with an unidentified person who felt a school shooting was “imminent,” according to the teenager’s arrest warrant. The unidentified person knew Ye from an inpatient treatment at a local psychiatric facility, the warrant says.
Ye referred to the writings as “his memoir,” which begins with a disclaimer that it is a work of fiction, the arrest warrant says.
So much comes with the intentions.
It’s not illegal to create a plan to rob a bank on its own. It becomes a crime when it gets specific, like dates and locations. If they can show intention to commit the act, it becomes a crime.
But that doesn’t mean they won’t necessarily arrest you anyway. Going through an arrest, jail, and court proceedings just to be acquitted still sucks.