Suspect in Aberdeen HS TikTok threat in custody; ASD schools resume

The Aberdeen School District resumed classes and after-school activities today after a youth was taken into custody for a threat against the school district.

The investigation began Sunday when Superintendent Jeffrey Thake notified the Aberdeen Police Department about a post on the Aberdeen High School TikTok account, which stated, “I’m bringing a gun to school on Monday.” 

A second post, stating “Don’t go to school” was also being evaluated.

Superintendent Thake made the decision to cancel school activities for Monday when a suspect had yet to be identified. 

Working with officials from the TikTok platform and high school administrators, police were able to establish probable cause and began looking for the suspect, identifying a Grays Harbor juvenile suspected of posting  the message.

The suspect, who does not currently attend Aberdeen schools, was taken into custody on Monday. 

The account associated with the comments has been removed from TikTok.

Aberdeen Police Chief Dale Green and Aberdeen Superintendent Thake spoke highly of the cooperation that took place over the weekend.

Chief Green said he hopes the quick response sends a message to everyone that law enforcement takes the posting of online threats very seriously. “Thankfully, we were able to identify a suspect through the cooperation of our many partners,” he said. “These included the schools, which helped us network with students in an attempt to identify the poster, our detectives were able to obtain needed information from TikTok, and expertise from our other law enforcement partners. We were able to identify a suspect late Sunday night, and our officers worked through the night in an attempt to locate. We were able to take the individual into custody this morning.”

Superintendent Thake also expressed appreciation at the joint effort. “I would like to thank our building administration and the Aberdeen Police Department for their tireless work to address this situation,” he said. “We followed Board Policy 3225 and 3225P which deal with school-related threats. We were able to take swift action. The safety and well-being of our students and staff is our top priority.”