A 17-year-old boy from Phoenix has been taken into custody in connection with an online threat directed at Imagine Prep at Surprise, a charter school in the West Valley. The post, shared on social media Thursday, led school officials to cancel scheduled basketball games and implement additional safety measures on campus the following day.
Surprise police officers arrested the teen at his Phoenix home on Friday. He was booked into the Durango Juvenile Detention Center and faces charges of making a terroristic threat as well as interference with or disruption of an educational institution. Investigators confirmed that the suspect is not a student at Imagine Prep, which is located near Reems and Greenway roads.
Even after the arrest, school administrators maintained heightened security. Principal Daniel Hattley informed families that the campus would continue to have extra police presence and several precautionary protocols in place on Monday. These include increased staff supervision during key times, indoor-only activities, photo ID requirements for visitors, and regular safety sweeps of school grounds.
While Friday’s extracurricular events were canceled, the school expects all practices and games to resume Monday. Authorities encouraged anyone with additional information about the incident to contact the Surprise Police Department at 623-222-4000 or via email at [email protected], referencing incident number #260101131.
The case adds to a growing number of investigations in Arizona involving school-related threats shared online, which law enforcement officials continue to treat as serious criminal matters.
