POMPANO BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - Acting on a tip, Broward Sheriff’s Office deputies found a homemade pipe bomb inside a home in Pompano Beach after, officials said, a teenage boy made online threats to kill students.
According to investigators, Christopher McDonald made the threats on Monday night when he was playing a video game online. He was taken into custody the next day.
Wielding a golf club, the 16-year-old’s father, David McDonald, asked a 7News crew to leave his property, Tuesday afternoon.
“Get the [expletive] out of my yard,” he said.
The elder McDonald declined to comment on his son’s arrest and instead referred 7News to the authorities.
“You reporters are all alleged. Talk to the police; they’ll tell you the same thing, too,” he said.
When told about the allegations concerning his son, the teen’s father replied, “The police said that? OK, then that’s the story you’ll go with.”
Parts of the arrest report are redacted, and since deputies said Christopher is home-schooled, it remains unknown which school or group of students he was allegedly targeting.
A call was made to Boca Raton Police at around 4 p.m. on Monday. The caller said the teen made an alarming statement while playing an online video game.
Following the investigation, police discovered the teen lived in Broward County and called BSO.
Investigators with BSO, the FBI and Homeland Security arrived at the teen’s home, located along the 4700 block of Northeast 14th Terrace.
The arrest report states, “The bomb squad along with detectives entered inside and recovered the pipe bomb and other weapons from the residence.”
Deputies took the teen into custody. He now faces a felony charge for possessing explosives.
Neighbors said they are still on edge after the Feb. 14 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, but are also thankful law enforcement moved as soon as the tip came in.
“You have to take it serious because, I mean, they didn’t take this other kid serious, and 17 people are dead now,” said area resident Rick Olivares. “They gotta take it serious.”
School officials and local law enforcement agencies are taking all threats seriously. Earlier Tuesday, two students from Homestead Middle School were arrested for bringing an unloaded gun on the campus.
Also on Tuesday, Palm Glades Charter School was placed on lockdown due to a threat made on social media. School officials said that post was unsubstantiated.
Earlier this month at Nova Middle School in Davie, authorities said, an 11-year-old placed a note under the assistant principal’s door that said she was going to bring a gun to school and kill students.
In Sunrise, a 17-year-old posted a photo on Snapchat that said Piper High School was next.
“You could see a perfectly harmless person walking down the street, and five minutes later you never know. They could be, you know — they could turn,” said area resident Talia Keller.
As for Christopher McDonald, his father said he was ordered to undergo a mental evaluation.
Neighbors hope he receives help. “He should be taken somewhere. Something’s got to be done,” said Olivares.
BSO officials said Monday’s tip illustrates how important it is for residents to remain vigilant and contact authorities, because these tips might reveal a piece of information that could help avoid a potentially dangerous situation from taking place.
If you know of any potential threats, call 954-764-HELP (4357) or Broward Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS (8477).
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