BERWICK — Four juveniles were arrested on Monday following an investigation into the nationwide Cat in the Hat trend by the Berwick Police Department. 

The trend involves images of the Cat in the Hat paired with vague or specific threats directed at schools.

The police department began its investigation Sunday after learning that local social media accounts were involved in the trend and that local students may have been participating. 

Investigators identified multiple TikTok accounts connected to the posts, resulting in the arrest of 4 juveniles.

Arrests included a 15-year-old, a 13-year-old, and a 14-year-old who were all charged with terrorizing. An additional 14-year-old girl was also arrested for cyberbullying. 

The arrests come just hours after the St. Mary Parish Sheriff's warned residents in the parish against the trend. 

Berwick Police Chief J. P. Henry issued the following statement: 

“These types of threats and online trends CANNOT and WILL NOT be tolerated. When something is posted online that causes parents to fear sending their children to school, we are going to take it seriously. Every single time.
What a juvenile may believe is a joke can create fear throughout an entire community, disrupt our schools, and require a significant law-enforcement response. Once you hit ????????, you do not get to decide how seriously law enforcement takes it."