Watch CBS News

Former Brooklyn Teacher Sues NYPD Over Arrest

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- The New York Police Department is being sued by a former New York City teacher who had been accused of making terrorist threats against school personnel.

Sabrina Milo was arrested in 2011 for allegedly threatening to bring a gun to school and going on a Columbine-style massacre, but a grand jury refused to indict her.

Milo was an art teacher at Brooklyn's Fort Hamilton High School for ten years and received an award for classroom excellence in 2007.

According to the complaint from 2011, Milo sat at a lunch table in the teacher's lounge, crying and enraged. Court papers quoted Milo as saying she "wanted to bring a machine gun under a trench coat to school, and it would be Columbine all over again."

The reference was to the 1999 Colorado school shooting by students that left 13 dead.

Fearful teachers reported the threats to school safety agents, who handcuffed Milo and turned her in to police.

Her lawyer told the New York Post Milo was forced to give up her teaching license after the arrest and remains unemployed.

Her lawsuit claims her remarks were not literal or serious. It names the NYPD and the arresting officer.

Check Out These Other Stories From CBSNewYork.com:

(TM and © Copyright 2014 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2014 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.