No Bail For Man Accused of Threatening to Shoot Bethesda High School

Photo courtesy of Montgomery County Police Department

Bail was denied Monday for the man police said threatened to shoot Walter Johnson High School on social media.

With the help of Baltimore County Police, former Walter Johnson High School Student, Luis Cabrera, 18, was arrested in Towson over the weekend.

He was charged with one count of threat of mass violence after students notified the school’s resource officer that the suspect posted a picture holding a rifle with a loaded magazine earlier this month. According to charging documents, Cabrera held the weapon with the words “School Shooter Camille” underneath. Students also reported that the suspect stated in other social posts, “I hate WJ” and “Ha, ha, ha, I’m going to shoot up the school.”

In court, Montgomery County District Court Judge John Moffet commended officers from the police department for their prompt response and said the conduct of Cabrera was “designed to cause chaos.”

According to charging documents, it’s not the first time that Walter Johnson High School officials had problems with the suspect.

Just days after the high school shooting in Parkland, Florida, Cabrera posted a Snapchat back in February stating, “I hope everyone at WJ dies.”

Students from the school brought his posts from earlier this year to the attention of the school’s principal who forwarded his post to the police. The Crisis Center in Montgomery County also evaluated Cabrera and deemed that he was not a threat at that time. The Crisis Center discovered that the school had disciplined the suspect and had informed him that he would not be graduating because of too many school absences, which the center believed triggered his outbursts on social media.

Cabrera is due back in court in early December.

Suspect who police said threatened Walter Johnson High School gets no bond at hearing. @mymcmedia pic.twitter.com/8nt4NUM3Zy

— Mitti Hicks (@MittiMegan) October 22, 2018

MCPS Releases Statement on School Safety Following Threats from Former Student

About Mitti Hicks

Mitti Hicks is a multimedia journalist and community engagement specialist with Montgomery Community Media. She is passionate about telling stories that impact our community and may be reached at MHicks@mymcmedia.org and on Twitter @mittimegan.

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