Inset: David Scott Jr. (Macomb County Prosecutor's Office). Background: The elementary school that Scott allegedly threatened to shoot up (Google Maps).
A 43-year-old man in Michigan has been arrested after he allegedly became "enraged" and threatened to shoot up his son's elementary school because the child did not have enough time to finish his snack.
David Scott Jr. was taken into custody this week and charged with being a prohibited person in possession of a weapon or ammunition, making an intentional threat to commit an act of violence against a school, and obscene or disorderly conduct, authorities announced.
"There is absolutely no excuse for threatening violence against a school or its staff—especially over something as minor as a classroom snack," Macomb County Prosecutor Peter J. Lucido said in a statement following Scott's arrest. "Our office takes all threats to schools seriously, and we will continue to pursue charges to ensure the safety of students, teachers, and our community."
According to a news release from the Macomb County Prosecutor's Office, Scott at about 3:30 p.m. arrived at Pleasantview Elementary School and "became upset that his child did not receive a snack at snack time."
"He confronted the child's teacher, made threats and said he would be back the next day," the release said.
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Due to his actions, police obtained and executed a search warrant for Scott's home where they allegedly recovered multiple rounds of ammunition, which Scott is legally prohibited from possessing.
Eastpointe Police Lt. Alex Holish provided additional details about the incident to Detroit ABC affiliate WXYZ.
"There was an enraged parent who was upset about the fact that his first grader did not have sufficient time for snack time and this parent decided to make threats against the school," he said.
Investigators said that Scott was "screaming, cursing, and threatening" his son's teacher in front of the school's staff, the young students, and the other parents who were on campus picking up their children. During his purported tirade, Scott allegedly repeated several times that when he returned the next day he was going to "air the place out," which police said is a slang phrase that means shooting up a location or building.
But the boy's mother defended Scott, telling WXYZ that while he may have overreacted, her son had been coming home from school hungry for several weeks.
"His dad, of course, because it's been ongoing got upset," the mother, Tykeissia Watkins told the station. "I really think that it was blown completely out of proportion."
She also said she did not believe that Scott really threatened to shoot up the school.
In a statement, the school said Scott's behavior was "unacceptable."
"Eastpointe Community Schools takes all threats to our schools, our students, and our staff incredibly seriously, and we will not tolerate this kind of behavior at our schools," the statement said.
A judge set Scott's bond at $150,000 cash or surety, meaning he cannot post 10% of the total. The judge also ordered him to undergo a mental health evaluation. Should he post bond, Scott must wear a GPS tracking device and not leave the state, consume alcohol, or have contact with the school, employees or complaining witnesses.
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