Florida teen brings knife to school with list of students' names, deputies say
A Florida high school student was arrested Monday after deputies said he brought a knife, gas mask and other disturbing items to school.
Benjamin Mendoza, 18, was booked into the Collier County Jail on charges of possession of a weapon on school property and interfering/disrupting school administration functions.
Deputies said they received a tip about Mendoza Friday from someone who said Mendoza had brought a gas mask to Palmetto Ridge High School and previously had made disturbing comments to him about the Las Vegas mass shooting.
When confronted at the school, northwest of Naples, detectives found several items in Mendoza’s backpack, including:
- A fake, but realistic-looking, Los Angeles Police Department badge;
- A drawing of a body with bullet holes to the chest and the words "dead ha ha dead" written on the back of the paper;
- A small notebook containing stories and drawings depicting victims and suspects in murders and other crimes;
- A Palmetto Ridge High School map; and
- A note that said "shoot up school" and "school shoot animae (cq) dead."
Mendoza also had a map of the school and a list of students names in his backpack, the Naples Daily News reported.
Other students also told detectives that they saw Mendoza with a knife and gas mask at school.
