An 11-year-old California boy was arrested Thursday after police say he wished for a gun to get rid of students who allegedly bullied him, Fox40.com reports.
Authorities arrested Brenton Peraita of Yuba City, Calif., for allegedly making criminal threats against students he said abused and taunted him for months, sometimes calling him names like "homo" and "fag." The boy, who was finger printed and issued a citation, also claimed the other students broke his glasses.
"His reward for standing up for himself and saying, 'I'm no longer going to be the victim,' was a ride to the police department and a mug shot," the boy's father, Jose Peraita, said in an interview with the station.
Peraita said the bullying persisted for months, despite repeated complaints made by the family to school administrators.
"Not only did nothing get corrected, it actually escalated," said Peraita. "We don't have a gun. That was the day he decided to stand-up for himself."
Police did not find a gun or weapon of any kind on the school premises. But authorities said Thursday that any alleged shooting threat on a school campus must be taken seriously.
"They're very young. Absolutely," said Shawna Pavey, spokeswoman for the Yuba City Police Department. "But the youth in this situation doesn’t negate that the threat to shoot other children was made on school campus."
Police said they also issued citations to three other students allegedly involved in the bullying incident.
Click here to read more on the arrest of 11-year-old Brenton Peraita from Fox40.com
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