Police Thwart Shooting Plot at Whittier-Area High School
Authorities announced Wednesday morning that they prevented a student at El Camino High School in Whittier from carrying out a shooting, according to ABC7.
The student, described by security officers at El Camino as “disgruntled,” was overheard threatening to open fire on the school last Friday. The threat was made two days after the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, which left 17 dead.
According to Robert Jacobsen, general counsel for Norwalk-La Mirada Unified School District, the threat came after a disagreement between the student and his teacher over headphones, KTLA5 reported. School policy prohibits students from using electronic devices in class.
“The safety officer did engage the student, and the student did comment that in three weeks he was going to bring a gun to school,” Jacobsen said.
Norwalk Sheriff’s Deputies were dispatched to the school to investigate the call from security. The investigation revealed a collection of weapons and ballistic evidence at the 17-year-old student’s home. The weapons found included an assault rifle, registered to the student’s 28-year-old brother (an Army veteran), and another that was unregistered. No weapons, however, were found on his person.
The student was arrested later that day, and is being held without bail, according to the Los Angeles Times. He remains unidentified due to his age.
Police held a press conference regarding the investigation early Wednesday morning. Los Angeles County Sheriff Jim McDonnell said the teen threatened that “he was going to shoot up the school sometime in the next three weeks,” ABC News reported.
Superintendent Dr. Hasmik Danielian published a letter online stating that district officials are cooperating with police.
“We want to reassure you that we at the Norwalk-La Mirada Unified School District do everything we can, every day, at every campus, to ensure a safe and secure learning environment for all our students, teachers and staff,” Danielian said. “Our policy is to always act with an abundance of caution when it comes to student welfare matters.”
Long Beach Unified School District faced a similar threat Wednesday morning. Rumors of a potential attack at Long Beach Polytechnic High School circulated on social media, prompting an official district response.
“While these rumors are unsubstantiated, we take them seriously and are working with law enforcement to actively investigate,” Superintendent Chris Steinhauser said in an statement.
Classes at Long Beach Poly have continued uninterrupted, as of Wednesday morning, though there were police officers and extra security on campus.