Teen charged with misdemeanor for alleged threats against Simeon, other CPS schools
CHICAGO - A south suburban teen has been charged with making online threats of gun violence to several Chicago public schools, including Simeon Career Academy High School, which lost two students to shootings this week.
Jordan Hassell, 18, faces a misdemeanor count of electronic harassment, according to Chicago police.
Hassell, of Lansing, was expected to appear in court later Friday.
Police on Thursday said he was arrested after reposting an old social media threat from another state and then continuing to post threats to Chicago Public Schools.
He was on electronic monitoring for making similar threats to schools in a nearby city, police said.
"It’s really tragic that … after Chicago has experienced these two tragic deaths of young people at Simeon that someone would now start posting on social media threats to stir further fears in parents," Police Supt. David Brown said in a news conference Thursday evening.
Brown said the threats were not credible but were still being taken "very seriously."
On Friday, FBI Chicago shared information on social media reminding people to "Think Before You Post."
"A lot of people think that just because it's a tiny joke and they just shoot off this one phrase that it's not gonna have a lot of repercussions for them," said FBI Special Agent Siobhan Johnson. "When in reality what they're doing is taking vital resources away from other emergencies that are real."
Johnson noted just how real the consequences are for hoax threats.
"It's a serious offense. You're putting first responders at risk, not just police, but also emergency personnel. And it just, it has ripples throughout the community," she said.
"People can face real psychological damage from thinking that their lives were in danger, so don't do it," Johnson added.
Sun-Times Media Wire contributed to this report.