Oakland County sheriff says mass tragedy was averted at high school graduation in Pontiac
Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said two people were arrested in connection with plans for a mass shooting on June 3 during a charter high school graduation in Pontiac.
Bouchard said deputies responded to the UWM Sports Complex around 6:40 p.m. Tuesday after a fight broke out during a graduation ceremony for the Arts and Technology Academy of Pontiac. According to the venue, about 1,350 people had registered to attend the graduation.
While working with UWM security, Bouchard says a family member came forward saying they saw a Snapchat post that potentially threatened a shooting at the event.
Bouchard said that while the Snapchat post has since been taken down, it alluded to shooting up a crowd.
Bouchard said venue security staff reviewed security camera footage and observed a suspect placing packages under vehicles in the venue's parking lot. Those packages were later discovered to be two loaded guns. Bouchard says each gun had a 40-round magazine and a bullet in the chamber.
Neither of the suspects is a student at the school that was celebrating graduation. Bouchard said both suspects had a weapon.
A 19-year-old suspect is in custody, but has not yet been charged.
Hours after a Bouchard held a news conference Friday, a second suspect, a 20-year-old man, was arrested.
"I am very proud of the swift teamwork of our deputies and the security of the sports complex that I believe averted a potential mass shooting," Bouchard said. "The nearly 80 rounds the suspects possessed being fired into a graduation is too terrible to imagine and thankfully was prevented.
"These two individuals already have been involved with the criminal justice system for weapons offenses, and they need to be held fully accountable. We cannot accept individuals that carry and use firearms illegally. The message must be clear: if you do this, you will serve real time."
Bouchard said others involved in the dispute have not been cooperative in his department's investigation.
Bouhard expressed his frustration that authorities were not tipped off ahead of time about the threatening social media post, saying that it could have been forwarded through the OK2Say tip line. is Michigan's student safety program, a campaign and tip line intended to provide a means for reporting criminal activities or potential harm directed to students, school employees or on a school campus.
On Friday, ATAP Pontiac released the following statement via :
Good Afternoon ATAP Community,
On Tuesday, June 3, 2025, during our graduation ceremony, an unfortunate incident occurred involving individuals who were reportedly seeking retaliation against others in attendance. Sheriff Bruchard addressed the situation in a live update earlier today.
While a brief physical altercation did take place inside the venue, it was quickly handled by staff and security, and those involved were promptly removed. Thankfully, no one within the ceremony was harmed, and we were able to continue and complete our beautiful commencement celebration without further disruption.
After the event, those individuals continued their interaction away from the venue. We are relieved and grateful that our students, families, and faculty returned home safely.
The Oakland County Sheriff's Office has been actively investigating the matter since Tuesday, and we have been in full cooperation throughout. We want to assure our community that ATAP remains a safe environment, and the well-being of our students and staff is our top priority.
Thanks to all of those individuals involved to help capture those individuals.
