DEERFIELD BEACH, FL (Boca Post) (Copyright © 2026) — A student was arrested after BSO detectives said he called 911 and reported he was “about to shoot the school,” triggering a law enforcement response and a lockdown at Deerfield Beach Middle School.
BSO said the call came in Wednesday, April 29, shortly after 12:30 p.m., when Broward County Regional Communications received reports of a possible threat to Deerfield Beach Middle School. A short time later, Broward County Regional Communications also received reports of a possible threat to Cypress Bay High School in Weston.
BSO deputies and detectives with the BSO Threat Management Unit responded to both schools to investigate. Out of an abundance of caution, BSO said both schools were placed on lockdown.
At Deerfield Beach Middle School, BSO said district deputies, the crime suppression team and criminal investigations detectives, SWAT and Threat Management Unit detectives responded as part of the investigation.
Detectives learned someone called the emergency number and stated they were “about to shoot the school,” BSO said.
BSO said the teen who made the call was identified and located at Deerfield Beach Middle School. Detectives said he admitted he was playing “rock, paper, scissors” and that if he lost, he would have to call 911. He lost the game, BSO said, and then called the emergency number and made the threat.
The student is 13, according to BSO. He was arrested and transported to the Juvenile Assessment Center for processing.
BSO said the teen faces charges of unlawful use of a two-way communication device, misuse of 911 and disruption of a school function. BSO said he also faces a felony charge of false report concerning the use of a firearm in a violent manner.
BSO said detectives are also investigating a call that came into Broward County Regional Communications around 12:48 p.m. Wednesday reporting a threat to Cypress Bay High School in Weston. Preliminary information indicates the incidents in the two cities are not connected, BSO said.
Authority for the investigation sits with BSO and its Threat Management Unit detectives, with Broward County Regional Communications receiving the initial reports and dispatching the response.
What happens next is the juvenile case processing for the Deerfield Beach arrest through the Juvenile Assessment Center, while detectives continue working the Weston threat investigation. BSO said that investigation may lead to additional arrests.
For residents in Deerfield Beach, Weston, and across Broward County, BSO’s message was that school threats and 911 misuse are treated as criminal offenses and will draw a full response, including lockdowns and multiple units. Sheriff Dr. Gregory Tony said every report of a threat is thoroughly investigated and may lead to an arrest.
