On the morning of October 16, 2019, Metro Patrol Deputies responded to Fruitvale Junior High regarding a potential social media threat of a drive-by shooting that would occur at the school. Deputies wrote numerous social media application search warrants and determined the message was sent from Bakersfield.
On October 22, 2019, detectives from the Kern County Sheriff’s Office Crimes Against Persons Unit assumed the investigation and identified the suspect as a Fruitvale Junior High student. Detectives questioned the student, who admitted to sending a message to a fellow student about the potential threat and that it was a hoax. The student intended it to be a viral social media joke.
The Kern County Sheriff’s Office takes all threats seriously, and hoaxes have consequences as well.
If you have any information on this case or others, you are encouraged to call the Kern County Sheriff’s Office at 661-861-3110 or the Secret Witness Line at 661-322-4040.
