- Authorities were tipped off to a social media post from Florida resident Corey Anderson, 18.
- Anderson posted snaps of himself with what looked to be firearms, authorities said.
- The caption to some of Anderson's images read: "Hey Siri, directions to the nearest school."
A Florida man was arrested this week for posting social media snaps of himself with what appeared to be firearms, then captioning some of the images asking for directions to the nearest school.
Corey Anderson, 18, was arrested at a residence in Lutz after authorities were tipped off about his posts, said a news release from the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.
Anderson had uploaded photos of what looked to be firearms, including a handgun, a rifle, and a tactical style vest, per the Sheriff's Office.
The release said Anderson's caption for several of the images he posted read: "Hey Siri, directions to the nearest school."
Anderson's threat came just over a week after a horrific mass shooting at the Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. At least 21 people, including 19 children, were killed after an 18-year-old gunman barricaded himself in a classroom and opened fire.
The Sheriff's Office said it later found that the handgun and the rifle featured in Anderson's images were airsoft guns, which shoot pellets instead of real bullets. They then charged Anderson with a written or electronic threat to conduct a mass shooting.
"This type of threat is unacceptable. This man intentionally instilled fear into our community as a sick joke, but be warned, this is no laughing matter," said Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister, per the release.
He added that his office would do everything it could to apprehend and charge people like Anderson who make threats to schools.
"We take school threats very seriously, if you see something suspicious, please contact us immediately," Chronister said.
Anderson's arrest came just a day after a 10-year-old in Florida threatened to shoot up the Patriot Elementary School in Cape Coral.
"Right now is not the time to act like a little delinquent," said Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno in a statement. "It's not funny. This child made a fake threat, and now he's experiencing real consequences."