Ninth-grader arrested after a photo of Lego rifle is posted on social media with threatening message

A freshman at a San Diego County high school was arrested on suspicion of making terrorist threats after he posted a photo of a Lego rifle on social media with a threatening message, a school district official said.

The 14-year-old ninth grader at West Hills High School in Santee was arrested at his home Tuesday, said Catherine Martin, a spokeswoman with the Grossmont Union High School District.

“We thank law enforcement for their quick action,” Martin said on Twitter.

The arrest comes as several schools — both in Southern California and across the country — have reacted to threats of violence in the wake of the Feb. 14 school shooting in Florida that left 17 people dead.

Also on Tuesday, San Diego police arrested a 15-year-old boy who attends Westview High School in the Torrey Highlands neighborhood after he allegedly told other students he planned to shoot up their campus.

School officials told police the teen told other students they shouldn’t attend class on Wednesday after telling them of his plans, acting Capt. Paul Phillips of the San Diego Police Department said.

Officers were sent to the campus and took the boy into custody. He was later arrested on suspicion of making criminal threats and was placed in juvenile hall.

Kucher writes for the San Diego Union-Tribune