FAU Police Take Student Into Custody After Making Threat via Yik Yak app
On Tuesday evening, the FAU student who threatened to shoot up the FAU Campus breezeway on the popular app, Yik Yak, was taken into custody.
According WPTV, students who saw the message before it expired explained he threatened to open fire on the campus Breezeway. The Breezeway is one of the main areas of campus where students and professors walk to get to their classes and restaurants.
Although Yik Yak allows users to post messages anonymously and anyone within a five-mile radius can read them, police still has the ability to track users down.
FAU Police was made aware of the post via twitter when student Jordan Whissell voiced his concern:
.@Jwhissell1 we take all threats seriously and are investigating. If anyone has more information, please contact our office at 561-297-3500
— FAU Police (@FAUPD) September 9, 2015
According to Lowe he is not convinced the threat was a legitimate one, but every threat is taken seriously.
There is no word on whether the student will be arrested or what charges he would face. Lowe said the investigation is ongoing.
Below is the statement FAU sent to students about the incident:
“On Tuesday evening, a message was posted to the anonymous social media site Yik Yak that made a threat to FAU. The message specifically mentioned the Breezeway as a potential target. The FAU Police Department was able to quickly identify the person responsible. The suspect, a student at FAU, was taken into police custody and confirmed responsibility for the posting. The reasons for the student’s actions are under investigation, and the student remains in police custody.
The safety of our students, faculty and staff, other employees, and visitors to our campuses is always our No. 1 priority. As such, when alerted to a potential threat, FAU authorities immediately investigated, determined the source of the social media post, and took necessary measures to protect the university community.
FAU campuses will operate as normal.”
