LOS ANGELES COUNTY, Calif. — Sheriff's officials say investigators found about 100 rounds of ammunition in the home of a 13-year-old boy who allegedly threatened to carry out a shooting at Animo Mae Jemison Charter Middle School on Avalon Boulevard in South Los Angeles.
In a press conference Friday, Sheriff Alex Villanueva says deputies learned about the threat on Thursday night, Nov. 21. Several students overheard the suspect making the threat and told their teachers, Villanueva said. Teachers emailed L.A. Unified School District officials, who then notified the sheriff’s department.
Villanueva says when investigators executed a search warrant, they found a weapon in the home that is unregistered, but it does have a serial number. Investigators also confirm the student had a list of both student and staff names and a "hand-drawn map'' of the school campus. Villanueva says investigators are still trying to determine how the boy got the rifle. L.A. County Undersheriff Tim Murakami describes the gun as an "AR-15."
"It does not appear to be a ghost gun," said Villanueva.
"We ask all Los Angeles County residents [that] if they hear or see something to say something [..] kudos to the students and staff of this school," said Villanueva.
Sergeant Bobby Dean of the Century Sheriff Station says the investigation is "fresh" and that the boy was taken into custody without incident.
Green Dot Public Schools, which operates the charter campus, issued a
statement saying it has "processes in place that allow our students to say
something if they observe threats or have safety concerns.''
"Yesterday, our staff was notified by students of a threat, and we moved quickly to ensure that no harm came to our students,'' according to Green Dot. "Our students did everything right by raising concerns with adults. We are in close contact with law enforcement and have been informed that there is no longer a safety concern. We are deeply thankful for the partnership and quick response from law enforcement around this incident.''
Over in East Los Angeles County, police also maintained a visible presence at Charter Oak High School in Covina on Friday in response to a possible threat targeting the campus.
Covina police announced late Thursday there had been a "threat to take place'' Friday at the school, and the threat was under investigation. Investigators are working with the L.A. Sheriff's San Dimas Station and "together we will ensure the safety of all students and staff with an increase of officer presence [and] extra patrols,'' according to the Covina Police Department.
Details about the threat were not immediately available.
On Friday morning, Covina police noted that "student attendance is very low today and there have been no incidents on campus.''
Covina police stressed that the alleged threat was unrelated to an arrest announced Friday by the sheriff's department about a South Los Angeles of the aforementioned 13-year-old.
Lastly, over in Palmdale in Northeast Los Angeles County, sheriff's deputies announced on Friday they arrested a teenager for making criminal threats against a Palmdale high school.
Deputies received a call about 6:30 p.m. Thursday regarding a threat for a planned shooting Friday at Pete Knight High School, according to Public
Information Deputy Ronald Sneed of the Sheriff's Palmdale Station. The deputies went to the school on 70th Street East and learned about a fight that occurred on the campus earlier that day which resulted in several students being suspended. The deputies conducted a thorough investigation, including multiple interviews and parent- authorized searches of homes, Sneed said.
They interviewed a male teen involved in the fight who made threats on social media and posted pictures of a person holding a firearm and bullets. He admitted to posting the picture and to writing additional threats, Sneed said. The deputies formed the opinion that the threats rose to the level of a crime and placed him under arrest for criminal threats. He was booked and transported to Sylmar Juvenile Hall, Sneed said.
"They did an interview with a male juvenile who admitted to [the threat]," said Villanueva in a press conference.
According to Villanueva, the student was taken to Sylmar Juvenile Hall for making criminal threats. His age was not made public. Villanueva says an adult is also facing criminal threats charges. The adult is also in custody.
Several additional students were interviewed regarding the incident, but were found to have no involvement with the posting or threats.
Murakami says this investigation is unrelated to a Lancaster resident arrested for buying gun parts online to create a fully automatic ghost gun.
These come about a week after a 16-year-old killed two classmates and injured three others at Saugus High School in Santa Clarita, which is in North Los Angeles County.
