2 Teens Arrested in Columbine-Type Massacre Plot
Two 17-year-olds have been arrested on charges of plotting a bloody raid on a California high school on April 20, the first anniversary of the Columbine High School massacre in Colorado, Sheriff’s Department officials confirmed Saturday.
The teenagers were booked on charges of conspiracy to commit murder after police uncovered a cache of knives and swords they allegedly planned to use to murder students and school employees at Summerville High School in Tuolumne City, about 85 miles east of San Francisco.
One of the two youths arrested attends the school, while the other is a former student. Police said the two were apparently not directly inspired by the Columbine killings, despite the grisly anniversary.
“They had been planning this for more than a year,” Sheriff Dick Rogers told local media late Friday. “Since before Columbine.”
Sheriff’s Department officials said no further information would be available until Monday.
At a news conference Friday, Rogers said Tuolumne County authorities heard about the Summerville plot last month and were given the names of three or four 17-year-olds and one 18-year-old allegedly involved.
On Thursday, investigators obtained a search warrant at the home of one suspect, and more warrants were secured Friday.
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