Authorities Arrest Maryland Student Over Detailed Mass Violence Plan

A Maryland high school student was detained and charged with threat of mass violence after police discovered evidence indicating the boy intended to commit a school shooting, authorities said Thursday.

The arrest occurred on Wednesday when authorities uncovered a 129-page document allegedly produced by 18-year-old Alex Ye, according to a Montgomery County Department of Police (MCPD) news release issued Thursday.

Authorities discovered the notes when Ye exchanged Instagram messages with an anonymous person who believed a school massacre was “imminent,” according to the teenager’s arrest warrant. The unidentified person knew Ye from her inpatient treatment at a local psychiatric clinic, according to the warrant.

According to the arrest warrant, Ye referred to the works as “his memoir,” which begins with a disclaimer that they are a work of fiction.

“In the document, Ye discusses conducting a school shooting and plans how to carry out the deed. Ye also considers attacking an elementary school and claims to want to be famous, according to the MCPD news release. “A search warrant obtained by MCPD led to internet searches, drawings, and documents related to threats of mass violence.”

The MCPD said it was contacted by the FBI about Ye’s purported writings, prompting a cooperative investigation between the two agencies.

He is being held in the Montgomery County Central Processing Unit pending a bond hearing. It’s unknown whether Ye has an attorney.

He was hospitalized in December 2022 for “threatening to shoot up a school,’ homicidal, and suicidal ideations,” according to the arrest warrant. In 2023, the student was hospitalized for five months at Johns Hopkins Pediatric Unit due to “homicidal ideations.”

On March 15, FBI agents interviewed a school counselor who worked with the student from late 2022 to early 2023 and claimed Ye would “express violent thoughts such as shooting up the school, wanting to hurt other people, and would smile while saying it,” according to the arrest warrant.

The youngster “did say he wanted to shoot up Wootton High School and ‘his elementary school,’ but he never mentioned the elementary school’s name.” “The Counselor is aware that the school is Lakewood Elementary,” the arrest warrant states.

In response, the school system has heightened security as a precaution, particularly at Wootton High School, due to “a valid concern of a school shooting,” according to the arrest warrant, with the goal that it will serve as “a visual deterrent.”

Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) confirmed the arrest of a Wootton High student. According to the district, the kid has not attended physical classes since Fall 2022 and is currently enrolled in an online program.

“The charges are extremely serious, involving alleged threats to harm others,” the school district stated in a statement. “We value and appreciate the close collaboration between MCPS and MCPD in this matter, which is an example of our shared commitment to identify and address potential threats with due process before they materialize.”

MCPS declined to comment further on the matter, citing student privacy rules. Police have indicated that a news conference will take place on Friday.