2 Arrested in School Bomb Scare

Police arrested two teens on suspicion of planting phony bombs on the campus of Channel Islands High School, a prank that led to the evacuation of about 2,500 students and staff Tuesday morning.

Authorities found four suspicious-looking devices on and around school property, prompting officials to end classes and clear the campus while experts from the Sheriff’s Department bomb squad carefully hauled away each bomb look-alike.

Upon later inspection, authorities determined that the devices were fake.

Police took two teens into custody on suspicion of placing a facsimile bomb in a public place, a possible felony. Both male suspects--at least one of whom was a Channel Islands student--were booked into Juvenile Hall on Tuesday night, and officers searched their homes, authorities said.

Though the devices were ultimately determined to be phony, police officials early Tuesday afternoon described them as authentic looking and worried that students and administrators were in danger.

“The devices are sophisticated looking,” Oxnard Police Cmdr. Jeff Young had said. “They had a little more of a formidable appearance, from what I understand, and were fairly credible looking.”

The bomb squad loaded the devices into a “bomb bucket” for transport to another site to be X-rayed, while students were sent across the street to Oxnard College as a precaution.

The incident began after a student spotted a questionable-looking box, and school officials reported the incident to police about 10:30 a.m. Minutes later, an alarm sounded and students, teachers and administrators were evacuated to the school’s football and softball fields.

About 12:30 p.m., everyone was sent to Oxnard College. Soon after, hundreds of students boarded school buses, and hundreds more walked home or were picked up by parents.

Bomb squad members searched the Channel Islands campus and parking lot into the evening and brought in military dogs to help sniff for possible explosives.

Three of the suspicious devices were found at various spots on campus, including in a stairwell, according to David Keith, public information officer for the Oxnard Police Department. A fourth bomb look-alike was located nearby, off campus.

School staff were allowed back on campus about 6:30 p.m.

Police said several students interviewed after the incident told them they had seen one or more of the devices being placed on campus.

As she waited on Rose Avenue for a ride home, Crystal Cahuantzi, 14, said she was in math class when her teacher announced that they had to evacuate. “I was praying,” Crystal said. “I was shocked, but at the same time I thought it was a joke.”

Also waiting for a ride, sophomore Arnold Wang, 16, said he had heard a bell and a lot of screaming. “We thought it was just a drill,” Arnold said. “But we knew there could have been a chance that there were bombs.”

Fire engines and police cars lined the street.

Tuesday’s incident was the most recent in a wave of bomb threats, evacuations and arrests in Ventura County schools since the shootings at Columbine High School in Colorado.

Two weeks ago, an 18-year-old Hueneme High School senior was arrested on suspicion of possessing explosive devices and bomb-making materials after police said they had found about eight homemade pipe bombs in his home. He pleaded not guilty last week to the charges.

A 15-year-old Newbury Park High School student was jailed that same day on suspicion of posting an Internet hit list naming the principal, a teacher and several students.

Keith said police officers have to take each bomb threat seriously. Even before the shootings at Columbine High School, he said, police would have responded the same way.

Awaiting updates from police, Channel Islands High School teacher Lynn Arkin sat in the Oxnard College cafeteria with dozens of other teachers and administrators. She said the possibility of real bombs at her school is frightening.

“You want students to feel safe on campus,” she said. “And when there is a scare like this--whether it’s real or a hoax--it undermines that.”

Classes at Channel Islands High are expected to resume today.