Two teens arrested after threatening violence at Long Beach high schools, police say

Two teenagers were arrested Wednesday after allegedly threatening to harm students at two high schools in Long Beach, police said, prompting authorities to step up patrols around the city’s campuses.

Both students, 15 and 16 years old, were arrested on suspicion of making criminal threats in what investigators believe are unrelated incidents, according to the Long Beach Police Department.

A school resource officer assigned to Millikan High School was alerted Wednesday morning that classmates overheard the 15-year-old freshman threatening violence on campus.

Almost three hours later, officers responded to a similar call at Wilson High School, where the 16-year-old junior was held.

Detectives scoured social media accounts, interviewed numerous potential witnesses and conducted searches as part of the investigations.

Long Beach Police Sgt. Brad Johnson declined to provide further details, saying investigators don’t want to taint any potential witnesses. It’s unclear whether the two teens had access to weapons.

A night earlier, detectives investigated an unsubstantiated threat of a shooting being planned at Long Beach Polytechnic High School. After working through the night, investigators found “no credible threat” to the campus, officials said.

The arrests come after authorities thwarted a student’s alleged plot to carry out a shooting at a Whittier high school.

A school resource deputy at El Camino High School said he overheard a student say, “I guarantee you the school will be shot up in three weeks.”

Hours later, investigators with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department searched the teen’s home and recovered two semiautomatic AR-15 rifles, two handguns and 90 high-capacity magazines.

Law enforcement officials, who are on high alert after a school shooting in Florida left 17 people dead, said they’ve seen a surge in tips about potential school shootings in 2018.

alene.tchekmedyian@latimes.com

Twitter: @AleneTchek