A San Antonio man faces a felony charge after authorities say he told an artificial intelligence chatbot he planned to shoot children at a neighborhood elementary school.
San Antonio police arrested Nathaniel Michael Carrasco, 22, on a third-degree felony charge of making a terroristic threat causing public fear of serious bodily injury, according to an arrest affidavit cited by local media. A magistrate set bail at $250,000, and Carrasco remained in the Bexar County Jail on Monday.
No shooting occurred, and authorities have not reported any injuries or said Carrasco possessed or used a weapon in connection with the alleged threat.
FBI alert triggered local investigation
According to the affidavit, the FBI’s National Threat Operations Section alerted the Southwest Texas Fusion Center on August 28 about threatening queries a user entered during an Anthropic AI chat on August 11.
Investigators allege that Carrasco used the chatbot to discuss obtaining a firearm and attacking students at Serna Elementary School, near his home in the Loop 410 and Perrin Beitel Road area.
“I’m getting a gun as soon as I can, and when Serna Elementary starts, I’m just gonna walk in there and start shooting up kids,” Carrasco allegedly told the chatbot, according to the affidavit.
North East ISD’s 2026-27 school year began on August 17, six days after the alleged messages.
Investigators traced account to Carrasco
Local investigators working with federal authorities submitted emergency disclosure requests to T-Mobile, Charter Communications and Google, according to the affidavit.
Records from the companies linked the account to Carrasco through an associated phone number, IP traffic and residential address, investigators said.
Police then arrested Carrasco and booked him into the Bexar County Jail.
AI chats may reach investigators
Anthropic’s transparency materials say the company processes law enforcement requests for user data, including requests for content, non-content records and emergency disclosures.
Anthropic also says it may disclose user data in limited emergency circumstances when it believes disclosure is necessary to prevent death or serious physical injury.
The public reporting on Carrasco’s case does not explain how the FBI first learned about the chats or whether Anthropic initiated the alert.
Case moves through Bexar County courts
Authorities accuse Carrasco of making a terroristic threat. A court has not convicted him, and he can contest the allegations through the Bexar County court system.
Available reports do not include a statement from Carrasco or an attorney on his behalf.
The FBI urges anyone who sees a threat of school violence to call 911 for an immediate threat or contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI.
Provided by Dallas Express
