Teen allegedly threatened shootings at Vacaville football game

The game about which the teen tweeted was to be held at Will C. Wood High School. The game about which the teen tweeted was to be held at Will C. Wood High School. Photo: David Butow, Special To The Chronicle Photo: David Butow, Special To The Chronicle Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Teen allegedly threatened shootings at Vacaville football game 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

A 16-year-old boy was detained Friday by Vacaville police who said he used his Twitter account to threaten a mass killing at a local high school football game.

Tips started coming in about the youth’s threat to Will C. Wood High School in Vacaville about 7:30 a.m. Friday. Police soon found the culprit.

“The threats were made after the poster mistook Will C. Wood’s western theme for Friday night’s football game against Napa High School, whose mascot is the Indians, as prejudicial,” said Vacaville police Sgt. Todd Dye in a statement.

The youth did not attend either school, but was questioned at his school, which officials did not reveal, and later detained. He posted the threatening Tweets from home.

Two youths who posted messages that they would bring weapons to the football game were questioned but not arrested, Dye said in the police statement.

The 16-year-old was held on making threats, but no one at the school was in danger, Dye said, as the youth lacked weapons needed and admitted he was just trying to call attention to his protest.

Jaxon Van Derbeken is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: jvanderbeken@sfchronicle.com