Police say a knife and a handwritten note were found in a student’s bag after an anonymous tip.
ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, FL — Two Lake Brantley High School students were arrested Friday after Altamonte Springs police said a female student brought a knife and a note to campus as part of a plan to kill a classmate. Detectives say they acted on an anonymous tip, detained the pair at the Seminole County school and booked them on premeditated attempted murder charges.
Police and school officials said the tip came in early Friday and was specific enough to allow officers to identify a student described in the report, search her belongings and find a knife along with a written note. Another student believed to have knowledge of or involvement in the plan was also detained. Authorities did not release names, ages or the intended target, citing the active investigation and student privacy laws. The arrests capped a tense few weeks at the campus, which recently dealt with a separate hoax threat that led to a lockdown. Friday’s case, officials said, was different: they believe a real plan was forming, and the quick tip prevented potential violence.
According to police, officers arrived at Lake Brantley High shortly after the tip and separated the students who were named or linked to the concern. During the search of one student’s bag, investigators reported finding a knife and a note whose contents have not been publicly described. Both students were taken into custody without incident. “It’s a little disheartening knowing that someone would want to intentionally hurt someone with a weapon that could easily kill,” ninth-grader Andrew Bano said outside the school. Parents who gathered near the campus said many students did not realize arrests had happened until the end of the school day, when messages began to circulate and families received a district email about the investigation.
Seminole County Public Schools notified families that an anonymous reporting tool had been used to flag a student “overheard mentioning their desire to harm another student” at the school. In that message, the district said law enforcement engaged the student, searched her belongings, and found the knife and note before taking her into custody. The district added that a second student “was found to be involved” and was also arrested. “We are so thankful to the individual who used our anonymous reporting tools to share what they heard and prevented a possible crime,” the district’s statement said. Parent Susan Tolksdorf said the email was jarring given a recent false alarm: “After the recent threat that happened, the initial reaction was worry and of course it was scary.” She recalled a lockdown earlier this month when her daughter texted, “If I die, I love you,” before officials determined that report was a hoax.
Officials have not said how, if at all, the new case connects to the earlier hoax, and they have not described the note found Friday or said how the alleged plan was supposed to unfold. Police also did not say whether the knife was brought from home or found on campus, or whether any social media activity is part of the case file. Lake Brantley High sits along Sand Lake Road northwest of Orlando and enrolls thousands of students; on a typical weekday, the school’s sprawling campus sees heavy foot traffic between classroom buildings and athletic facilities. On Friday, several students said classes continued without major disruptions and that many classmates only heard about the arrests after dismissal. Detectives emphasized that the investigation remains open and that they are still conducting interviews and reviewing evidence gathered from the search.
Florida law allows juveniles to be charged with serious felonies such as attempted first-degree murder, though prosecutors decide whether to pursue charges in juvenile court or to seek adult charges. In this case, police said both students face premeditated attempted murder counts; additional charges could be added depending on what investigators recover from phones, notebooks or other records. Authorities did not release a timetable for first appearances or detention hearings, which would typically be set within days in juvenile court. The Altamonte Springs Police Department asked anyone with additional information to contact investigators or submit tips through Crimeline. The district said it will continue to coordinate with police and will share further updates with families when new, verifiable details become available.
Parents and students who spoke near the school Friday evening described relief that officers intervened quickly. “The tip Friday prevented what could have been a devastating outcome,” the district wrote. Bano, the ninth-grader, said classmates spent the afternoon trying to make sense of the news: “It’s so much more stuff than that needs to happen instead of just going to school and having fun,” he said. Tolksdorf said she appreciated the school’s communication, adding that the previous lockdown remains fresh in her mind even though it turned out to be a false alarm. By nightfall, police cars had left the area, and the campus was quiet as students prepared for the weekend.
As of Saturday, the case remains active, and police have not released the note’s contents, the students’ names or their ages. No injuries were reported. Investigators said they will release additional information as interviews are completed and evidence is processed. The next update is expected once charging documents are finalized and court schedules are set.
Author note: Last updated January 24, 2026.