Teen plotting shooting at high school tried recruiting classmates, California cops say
.jpg "A California teen was arrested following a tip that he was allegedly recruiting other high school students to participate in a mass shooting, police said.")
A California teen was arrested following a tip that he was allegedly recruiting fellow high school students to participate in a mass shooting, according to police.
The Berkeley Police Department received a tip on May 21 that a 16-year-old boy tried to recruit other students to “participate in a school shooting at Berkeley High School that included explosives,” a June 1 police statement said.
After obtaining a warrant, officers searched the boy’s residence where they found “parts to explosives,” assault rifles and several knives, investigators said. Police also found “electronic items” that could potentially be used to create other weapons.
Police also coordinated with the city’s Mobile Crisis Team to evaluate the student’s mental health, the statement said.
The teen turned himself in to authorities on Monday, May 30, police said.
“The teen was arrested on suspicion of possessing destructive device materials and threatening to commit a crime which will result in death or great bodily injury,” police said.
Brent Stephens, Berkeley Unified School District’s superintendent, commended the tipster who came forward with information.
“Speaking up in this instance allowed for the police to intervene in advance of any harm occurring,” Stephens said in a letter to the school community.
News of the teen’s plot comes in the wake of the mass shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, that left 19 children and two teachers dead just over a week ago.
This story was originally published June 2, 2022 at 5:03 PM with the headline "Teen plotting shooting at high school tried recruiting classmates, California cops say."
