An 11-year-old girl was arrested and handcuffed outside her home in Port Orange, Fla., after she made a false report to 911 that her friend had been kidnapped by an armed attacker on Wednesday.
The girl later told authorities she purposefully misled police as part of a YouTube prank, according to a report from the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office.
The tween texted 911 on Wednesday morning to claim her 14-year-old friend was kidnapped by an armed male driving a white van. The girl claimed to be in personal pursuit of the kidnapper and said she was driving a blue Jeep. She reportedly texted 911 updates for about an hour and a half, including a description of the suspect.
When police were sent to find the kidnapper and his vehicle along the stretch of road identified by the girl, their hunt was fruitless.
The Sheriff’s Communications Center flagged the 911 report as suspicious.
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Police tracked the phone and were eventually directed to a home in Port Orange. When they arrived, authorities spoke to the girl’s father, who said she was in the house.
When confronted, the girl told police she was inspired by a YouTube challenge and thought her prank “would be funny.”
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She was charged with making a false police report concerning the use of a firearm in a violent manner, which is a felony. The girl was also charged with misuse of 911, a misdemeanour.
The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office has since released bodycam footage of the girl’s arrest. Though her face is blurred in the video, the girl, who is in handcuffs, is assured by police that “nothing’s going to happen to you.”
A man, believed to be the girl’s father, can be heard scolding the minor in front of police.
“I’m telling you this right now, you’re going to take this as a lesson at 11 years old that if you do something stupid in the future, you’re going to enjoy those cuffs,” the man warns the girl.
“I’m not going to do this again,” she promises, audibly crying.
Police are now using the situation to warn locals about the dangers of reporting false crimes.
“This kind of prank activity is dangerous — we’re going to investigate every incident but today it wasted valuable resources that might have helped someone else who legitimately needed our help,” said Sheriff Mike Chitwood.
He encouraged parents to monitor their children’s social media accounts and online activity.
The 11-year-old girl was transferred to the Volusia Regional Juvenile Detention Center. It is not clear if she is still in custody.
In Florida, minors above the age of seven can be prosecuted, meaning they can be taken into custody, arrested, charged and adjudicated for violating the law.
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