Student arrested for making shooting threat against Pittsburgh-area school, DA says

A student has been arrested for making a threat against the Belle Vernon Area School District, authorities said. 

The juvenile, whose name has not been released, will be charged with terroristic threats and simple assault after making a threat referencing a school shooting while playing video games online, the Westmoreland County District Attorney's Office said on Wednesday. 

The district attorney's office said the Rostraver Township Police Department began investigating last week after a person in Minnesota who had been playing video games with the student reported the threat out of an abundance of caution. 

Investigators said the juvenile made "a specific threat of violence" against the Belle Vernon Area School District. 

Police executed a search warrant at the student's home and on electronic devices, the district attorney's office said. 

"The prompt and proactive measures of the Rostraver Police Department and Belle Vernon Area School District to intercept this threat, credible or not, should be commended," Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli said in a press release. "I am thankful for the individual who reported this and that all students and staff are safe."

Rostraver Township Police Chief Scott Sokol thanked the online gamer for taking the threat seriously and having the courage to report it to authorities. 

The student will be charged as a juvenile. No other information was released on Wednesday. 

Editor's note: Police did not release the gender of the student arrested. The story has been updated.