19-year-old Volusia man arrested for threatening school shooting in California, police say

A 19-year-old Volusia County man was arrested this week after he allegedly threatened on social media to conduct a shooting at a middle school in California.

On Wednesday, September 3, the Orange City Police Department launched an investigation after receiving a tip from the Los Angeles Police Department. The tip mentioned that an individual residing within Orange City had made threatening posts on social media targeting LAPAZ Middle School in Salinas, California, according to OCPD.

Orange City police stated that an IP address was traced to a local residence, and it led investigators to identifying 19-year-old Ethan Michael Lutz as the suspect in this case.

Lutz had allegedly posted multiple “disturbing threats” on one of his social media accounts, including that his “job is to be a school shooter.” He also allegedly stated on the account that his “greatest strength was gunning down kids” and that his “greatest fear was being caught by the police.”

OCPD officers responded to Lutz’s Orange City residence, where they made contact with him. During an interview, he allegedly admitted to owning the social media account in question.

“[Lutz] voluntarily displayed screenshots of his account to investigators, who confirmed the threats had been written on the suspect’s device,” said OCPD in a media release.

While speaking with investigators, Lutz allegedly claimed that his actions were “the result of a dare,” and he “considered the threats to be a joke.”

Lutz was placed under arrest and booked into Volusia County Jail. He was released the following day after posting bond, and he is facing the following charge: making written or electronic threats to kill, do bodily injury, conduct a mass shooting, or commit an act of terrorism.

In OCPD’s media release, the agency stated, “Any threats made towards schools, their staff, or students are taken with the utmost seriousness. Such incidents will be investigated to the fullest extent of the law to ensure the safety and security of our community and others, as these threats can impact schools and families nationwide.”