A Florida cosmetology student’s private Snapchat post turned into a law enforcement response, an expulsion, and a felony arrest after the message was flagged and forwarded through the FBI to local deputies.
EWU Bodycam reported that the incident happened on January 5, 2026, when the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office was notified of a written threat to commit a mass shooting at the Aveda Institute in Clearwater, Florida. According to the channel’s host, the threat began as a private Snapchat story posted by Addison Gass, a teenager attending the school.
The post, as described in the footage and police records cited by EWU Bodycam, included a picture of Addison and language saying she was “about to” shoot up the school because people there had made her angry.
Deputies Arrive At The School
The bodycam footage showed deputies entering the Aveda Institute and asking for a director as discreetly as possible.
When a staff member asked what was happening, one deputy made clear that there was urgency because there was an actual threat of violence involving the school. The deputy later told the director that Snapchat had been intercepted by the FBI and that they did not want Addison to know officers were there until they located her.
“She’s posting Snapchat that was intercepted by the FBI right now,” the deputy said. “She’s about to shoot up this place.”
The deputies asked whether Addison was present and worked with staff to locate her without creating unnecessary panic inside the school. Once they found her, they detained her and moved her to a more private area to discuss what had happened.
EWU Bodycam’s host explained that Snapchat had issued a voluntary emergency disclosure after the post was made, and that disclosure was forwarded to the sheriff’s office through the FBI.
Addison Says She Was Upset, Not Serious
Once deputies began questioning her, Addison quickly acknowledged that she knew why they were there.
She told them she had accidentally posted something on Snapchat saying she was going to do something she should not have said. When asked what the post said, she admitted that she had written that she was going to shoot up the school, but insisted she did not mean it literally.
“I didn’t mean it in like in a threatening way,” Addison told deputies. “I wasn’t thinking.”
The deputy explained that, whether it was meant seriously or as an angry comment, the post was treated as criminal because threats against schools are taken seriously.
“You understand why we’re here and the gravity of how serious we take these types of threats,” the deputy told her. “You just can’t make posts like that.”
The officer also told Addison that these kinds of statements are monitored and that, in this case, the FBI had been alerted.
Addison said she honestly did not think the post would go that far.
A Dress Code Issue And A Bad Morning
According to Addison’s explanation in the footage, the post came after a stressful morning at school.
She told deputies she had not slept, was almost late, and had been called out for wearing leggings, which she said violated the dress code. Addison said she felt targeted because other students around her were wearing the same thing.
She said she asked a staff member if she could stay for the day, and the staff member said it was fine, but the situation still upset her.
EWU Bodycam’s host said a later search of Addison’s phone showed she also posted a video at the school with her middle finger raised. Minutes later, she texted her mother that the school kept making her hate it more because of “stupid stuff” they were doing, and described it as the worst day of her life.
That context helps explain the emotional state deputies were hearing about, but it does not erase the seriousness of the words she chose. In modern school safety cases, law enforcement is not going to wait to decide whether a threat is a joke, a venting post, or a real plan after something has already happened.
Deputies Ask About Her Mental State
The deputies asked Addison about what was going on in her life and whether she was struggling mentally or physically.
She said she was stressed with work, bills, and other personal issues. When asked whether she had a mental health diagnosis, took medication, or saw a therapist, Addison said she had seen a therapist before but that the therapist was back in Colorado.
EWU Bodycam’s host reported that Addison had moved to Clearwater to continue pursuing a cosmetology license at the Aveda Institute after previously attending a school in Colorado.
At one point, she said she did not know what she was going to do next.
That was one of the more sobering moments in the footage. A teenager who appeared to be describing stress, frustration, and poor judgment was also being told that one online post had created consequences she could not easily undo.
There is a lesson here that goes beyond this case: private does not mean invisible, especially when a platform detects language tied to violence. A post made in anger to a handful of people can still move through corporate reporting systems, federal agencies, local police, school administrators, and eventually a courtroom.
The School Terminates Her Enrollment
After speaking with Addison, deputies met with the Aveda Institute director and explained that Addison would be arrested for written threats.
The deputy told the director that the post was flagged by Snapchat, sent to the FBI, and then forwarded to local authorities. He also said Addison was likely not going to remain a student at the school.
The director confirmed that Addison’s enrollment would be terminated.
“With all things considered, we do have to terminate your enrollment,” the director told Addison.
The director also told Addison that she was not allowed back on the property and that law enforcement would need to accompany her if she later returned to collect her belongings because a trespass warning would be in place.
At the same time, the director tried to soften the blow by telling Addison she should still pursue a cosmetology license elsewhere. She said that if another school contacted Aveda, the school would not disclose why Addison had been terminated or even that she had been terminated.
That part of the conversation was unusually practical. The school was cutting ties immediately because of the safety threat, but the director also seemed to recognize that Addison’s future did not have to end with that one school.
Arrested And Taken To Jail
Deputies then placed Addison under arrest, handcuffed her, and walked her discreetly through a corridor and out to a back parking lot.
One deputy told her that because she had been cooperative, he would try to make the handcuffs as comfortable as possible. He also explained the jail process, telling her it was not as frightening as people often imagine and comparing it to a waiting room where a person cannot leave.
“You made a mistake today,” the deputy told her.
He also told Addison that her phone would be taken as evidence and that investigators would seek a search warrant for her device and Snapchat data.
When Addison asked about her Snapchat memories and pictures, it was a reminder that the consequences were not just legal or school-related. The platform account she used in a moment of anger had become part of the evidence.
Felony Charge And Risk Protection Order
According to EWU Bodycam, court documents show Addison Gass was arrested and later charged with written threats to kill or do bodily injury, a second-degree felony.
She pleaded not guilty, and the case remains ongoing.
EWU Bodycam also reported that Addison was placed under a risk protection order, which prevents her from possessing or purchasing firearms or ammunition while the order is in effect.
The case shows how quickly school-threat investigations now move. A post made in frustration can be detected by a platform, forwarded to federal authorities, sent to local law enforcement, and acted on before a student fully understands what is happening.
That speed exists because schools and police have seen what happens when threats are ignored. Still, the footage also shows the personal fallout of a teenager learning in real time that a private Snapchat story can become a public criminal case.
For Addison, the alleged threat did not stay between a few viewers. It became an FBI referral, a sheriff’s office response, an expulsion from school, a trespass warning, the seizure of her phone, and a felony charge that will now move through court.
Ed spent his childhood in the backwoods of Maine, where harsh winters taught him the value of survival skills. With a background in bushcraft and off-grid living, Ed has honed his expertise in fire-making, hunting, and wild foraging. He writes from personal experience, sharing practical tips and hands-on techniques to thrive in any outdoor environment. Whether it’s primitive camping or full-scale survival, Ed’s advice is grounded in real-life challenges.
