Two teenagers in Texas were arrested this week after they claimed they were participating in a social media trend, only to find themselves in police custody.
According to the Kyle Police Department, Lane Burch, 18, and Kaine Villarreal, 19, have been arrested on charges of making terroristic threats. The police state that the two individuals were approaching children and asking them if they wanted to be kidnapped.
The incident occurred on Wednesday, January 29 in Kyle, a town located just outside of Austin, according to the police. Two children, aged 7 and 9, were reportedly followed and approached by the suspects as they were walking home from Negley Elementary School.
The children “immediately” contacted their parents, who subsequently phoned the police. When police arrived, the suspects allegedly told them “that they were repeating a social media prank.”
Despite their purported defense, cops arrested them and took them in. Authorities have reported the incident to the local school district.
There are no more details available at this time.
This is the second viral attempt that has placed someone in Texas in legal jeopardy this month.
Earlier this week, news outlets began covering a story about a man who posted a video of himself using a 3-month-old infant to clear snow from the windshield of his Hyundai Elantra during a winter storm.
Both Port Arthur Police and Child Protective Services confirmed they were investigating the incident, with Port Arthur Police Chief Tim Duriso predicting an arrest warrant will be issued soon.
“It’s a sad situation. I know a lot of people go to social media and they are looking for clicks… but this is not a a deal where you should put a baby on the windshield,” Duriso told 12 News Now . “He had two other females with him at the time. We suspect one of them was the mom. They checked on the baby. The baby was just fine.”
