Hearing Set for Boy, 13, in Weapons Case

Orange County prosecutors must now decide what action to take against three boys who allegedly planned to take over a classroom with knives and loaded handguns, police officials said Friday.

A 13-year-old student at Marine View Middle School was placed in juvenile detention after the Oct. 7 incident and faces a weapon-possession charge and allegations of conspiracy to commit kidnaping. Two 12-year-olds also face the possibility of conspiracy charges, officials said.

“Based on the evidence I’ve seen, I believe that if school officials had not acted in the way they did, it could have been a serious situation,” said Huntington Beach Police Sgt. Bill Van Cleve, who said the investigation has been turned over to Juvenile Court authorities. “No one was hurt, no one was shot, but we know they had guns--who knows what could have happened?”

A detention hearing for the 13-year-old is scheduled Monday. Prosecutors have declined to discuss the case, citing juvenile confidentiality rules.

According to police, the 13-year-old was armed with two loaded handguns, a machete and a knife. The three allegedly planned to take over a shop class.