By Tam Nguyen, Nguoi Viet
FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif. ― Fountain Valley High School was closed Wednesday due to a bomb threat that authorities said arrived via email from student.
A Fountain Valley Police Department cruiser and police tape block the entrance to Fountain Valley High School following an emailed bomb threat. Photo by Thien An/Nguoi Viet
The Orange County Sheriff’s Department bomb squad searched the school, at 17816 Bushard St., with dogs but found no explosives or weapons, officials said.
Sgt. Tony Luce of the Fountain Valley Police Department said police connected the email with an account belonging to a 17-year-old male student. He would not release the student’s name, and Luce said the student had not been taken into custody.
Sgt. Tony Luce of the Fountain Valley Police Department updates the media about the bomb threat. Photo by Thien An/Nguoi Viet
“He (the student) denies any knowledge of the email and has been cooperative with police,” Luce said.
The student gave police access to his phone and computer, and authorities found no indication that the student sent the email, Luce said. The student contends his email was hacked and that he did not have access to any weapons or explosives.
School officials took quick action and notified police Wednesday morning after seeing the email regarding the bomb threat about 6:15 a.m. Luce said the email was sent to the school around 10 p.m. on Tuesday.
Classes at Fountain Valley High School were canceled Wednesday morning. The adjacent campus of Valley Vista Continuation High School also was closed to students and searched by the bomb squad, Luce said. No weapons or explosives were found, Luce said.
Sean Strayer, 17, who attends Fountain Valley High School, said that when he arrived at school, he saw a handful of police cars. An officer informed him of the bomb threat, and he said that within an hour, the police presence had grown.
Fountain Valley High School student Sean Strayer tells the media what he saw when he arrived at school Wednesday morning. Photo by Thien An/Nguoi Viet.
“I am glad everyone is all right,” Strayer said. “I am surprised this actually happened because this city is peaceful.”
Classes will resume Thursday, according to a message posted on the school’s website.
