Threatening Graffiti At Danville Schools Prompts Increased Police Patrols

DANVILLE (CBS SF) -- Police increased patrols at Danville schools Thursday after a threat to kill people was found spray-painted near a middle school, according to school district administrators.

A week ago, school staff found a message in graffiti next to Charlotte Wood Middle School on El Capitan Drive that said "I will kill 12 people on May 8," according to San Ramon Valley Unified School District spokesman Terry Koehne.

School staff called police, who began investigating the graffiti.

The school also informed parents of the threat.

Since that time, two other copycat graffiti messages were found at the middle school and in the boys' bathroom at John Baldwin Elementary School at 741 Brookside Drive.

Police apprehended a boy believed to be behind one of the copycat messages on Wednesday, Danville police Lt. Allan Shields said.

The juvenile was cited and released to his parents.

Shields said police continue to investigate the case and have a "zero-tolerance policy" for threats.

"We have no way of knowing for certain whether the threat that was spray-painted was a credible threat but we have to treat it as though it were," said Danville town spokesman Geoff Gillette.

Gillette said police are increasing patrols not only at the two schools where the threats were found but around all of Danville's schools Thursday.

Some parents have opted to keep their children home from school Thursday, according to Koehne.

Koehne said that while the district is encouraging students to come to school as they normally would, the decision to keep children home is a "personal family decision."