Marine veteran who threatened to shoot up Texas high school and zoo arrested after car chase: Police

A Marine Corps veteran was arrested after allegedly threatening to open fire on a Texas high school and zoo after leading police on a high-speed chase, officials said.

Joshua Finney, 38, is accused of sending Facebook messages to a relative threatening to shoot up Morton Ranch High School in Katy, Texas, and the Houston Zoo, ABC News affiliate ABC 13 reported. The relative said he also sent pictures posing with guns, according to authorities.

However, a Katy Independent School District spokesperson disputed the ABC 13 story.

“The Harris County Sheriff’s Office confirmed with District Police that there was no active threat, nor any prior threat to Morton Ranch High School. The information reported in this story is inaccurate,” the spokesperson said in a statement sent to ABC 13.

Law enforcement confronted Finney on Tuesday, when he took police on a high-speed car chase in Katy, according to investigators. One magistrate told ABC 13 that Finney “evaded for eight miles at speeds of 110 miles per hour, driving on the shoulder, weaving through lanes, driving the wrong way head-on at two patrol vehicles and innocent motorists.”

When Finney was stopped, police said they found a loaded gun in his car with 39 rounds of ammunition. Law enforcement also has a video of Finney driving by Morton Ranch High School, according to police.

At his first probable cause court appearance Wednesday, Finney did not appear as he being held in a mental health unit, according to the magistrate.

Finney has been charged with harassment, evading police and illegally possessing a weapon due to a lengthy and violent previous criminal history, according to police.

The investigation is ongoing, police said, and Finney’s bond was raised to $10 million on Thursday.