Threatening hoax at Gwinnett high school meant to 'create chaos,' principal says

SUWANEE, Ga. - Parents and students at a Suwanee high school had a scare this morning after alleged photos of a weapon inside Peachtree Ridge High School surface online. 

Peachtree Ridge High School and Gwinnett County Public Schools officials said the photos appear to be a hoax designed to "create chaos" at the high school. 

Administration and law enforcement identified some students suspected to be involved in the incident. The school was not placed on lockdown, a GCPS spokesperson said. 

Principal Jadd Jarusinski told parents on Monday that the school was investigating after discovering photos of a weapon with a caption that claimed the photo was taken from inside Peachtree Ridge High School. 

"We have received several calls from parents and I wanted to assure you that we, along with the police, are actively investigating this matter," he wrote. "Although the post indicated the photo which included a weapon was taken at our school, the flooring in the photo is not a direct match to any in our building. That said, we are taking this seriously and continue to investigate and talk to students."

Later in the morning, Jarusinski said a second post was also determined to be a hoax. That's when he said investigators identified at least students responsible. Investigators are working to determine if the first and second posts were related. 

"As we had a considerable amount of resources focused on the first post, we were able to quickly learn of the second post," he wrote in a letter to Peachtree Ridge parents. "Our investigation allowed us to identify approximately four students who were involved in the posting of this second threat. We have confirmed that they found the image online and tagged our school with the intent to 'create chaos.'"

Jarusinski said the students will face criminal charges in addition to disciplinary action. 

The students have not been named. 

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