Merced police arrest man accused of threatening schools

MERCED, Calif. (KFSN) -- Merced police have arrested the man accused of posting threats online targeting schools.

The Merced Police Department took 28-year-old Tanzeem Khan into custody on Friday.

Detectives say Khan was making potentially dangerous statements to Merced schools through social media posts.

"As soon as we receive this information, our school resource officers were directed to ensure that they were at their school and checking in with all the various schools and to make sure that they're in place in the event that we had any type of incidents," said Merced Police Captain Daniel Dabney.

On Friday, detectives were able to track Khan down and arrest him on a felony charge with the intent to terrorize.

Captain Dabney said this isn't their first run in with Khan.

"That information came out and some other background information came in identifying a potential suspect in this. And so, we immediately started to do our research on it and see if it's someone we knew. In fact, it was somebody who we had previous contact with and had previously arrested for the same crimes," said Captain Dabney.

He adds Khan didn't specify which school he wanted to terrorize and has only made threats.

Khan has never followed through with any attacks or been in possession of any weapons.

"We understand how they can be very scary, and we really appreciate people listening to the communication we're providing," said Merced City School District Superintendent Juliana Stocking.

There was a slight uptick in parents choosing to pick up their kids early as soon as the online threat made the rounds on social media.

Stocking wants parents to know that district officials take safety as a top priority for their students.

"As being able to coordinate and work collaboratively with MPD, it's imperative during that time. So, they're trust in us to do so very important, and we were able to have a very safe day today at school as a result of that," said Stocking.

The police report will be sent to the district attorney's office to determine if charges will be formally filed against Khan.

He's currently in the Merced County jail. He is being held on a $50,000 bond.

For sports updates, follow Stephen Hicks on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.