Two students charged in alleged mass school shooting plot

Two South Pasadena teens were charged today with plotting to kill “as many people as possible” in a mass school shooting.

The boys, who are 16 and 17, each face one count of making criminal threats, according to the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office. Their names have not been released.

The charges come after police launched an around-the-clock investigation last week after receiving information that the two suspects had shared their plans with another teen, who they then threatened to kill, prosecutors said.

South Pasadena Police Chief Art Miller said at a news conference Tuesday that the boys had a “very specific plan on how they were going to carry out their sick mission.”

“As they put it, they just wanted to kill as many people as possible,” Miller said.

The boys, who were arrested Monday, had researched weaponry, explosives and methods for disarming people, and “very cold-heartedly” discussed their plans with each other online.

The teens also told investigators they were willing to die in a shootout with police, Miller added.

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.

The FBI was assisting with the ongoing forensics investigation.

The two teens were scheduled to appear in juvenile court later in the day, prosecutors said.