PHILADELPHIA – Police say a Philadelphia teen faces charges in connection with a social media account that aimed to out "rats" in criminal cases.
A police spokeswoman says the 17-year-old was taken into custody Tuesday in connection with the now-shuttered anonymous Instagram account "rats215." Philadelphia's area code is 215.
Little says the teen is alleged to have been the owner of the account that posted affidavits and photos of victims and complainants in criminal cases. The charges are intimidation and terroristic threats.
The Philadelphia Inquirer previously reported that the account had posted material identifying more than 30 witnesses since February. The paper said the account had nearly 7,900 followers and had contained more than 150 photos, many drawing dozens of comments and likes.
Little said the investigation is still ongoing.
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