By Adolfo Flores and Veronica Rocha, Los Angeles Times
South Pasadena police on Tuesday said two teens arrested this week had developed a “huge plan” to carry out a mass school shooting in which they wanted to kill “as many people as possible.”
South Pasadena Police Chief Art Miller addresses the media about alleged mass-shooting plot at high school during a news conference at the police station Tuesday morning. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
South Pasadena Police Chief Art Miller told reporters at a news conference the two boys, ages 16 and 17, had researched weaponry, explosives and methods for disarming people.
The teens, who have not been identified, “very cold-heartedly” discussed their plans with each other online.
“As they put it, they just wanted to kill as many people as possible,” Miller said.
The teens, who were arrested Monday, also told investigators they were willing to die in a shootout with police, Miller added.
Police launched the around-the-clock investigation Thursday based on a tip about a possible school shooting plot that was relayed to administrators at South Pasadena High School, he said.
The investigation included reviewing social media posts and “Internet surveillance,” Miller said. On Monday, police served search warrants at the boys’ home. No weapons were found at the home, and there was no target date, he added.
There was some “pretty frightening information” gleaned from the computers and interviews with the suspects, Miller said.
“As they were planning it … they had a very specific plan on how they were going to carry out their sick mission,” he said.
The FBI, he added, was assisting with the ongoing forensics investigation.
News of the alleged plot shocked many in this close-knit community, including Deb McCurdy, who will be president of the parent-teacher association next year.
Read the full story by Adolfo Flores and Veronica Rocha from Los Angeles Times.
