Gun Discharges on School Bus; 1 Hurt

A 15-year-old boy suffered a minor gunshot wound Wednesday afternoon, after a gun he and another boy were playing with discharged on a school bus, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said Thursday.

The student at El Rancho High School in Pico Rivera was treated at a nearby hospital and released. His 14-year-old friend, who was carrying the weapon, was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and was taken to Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall in Downey.

Authorities expect to present the case to the district attorney today. “This is the first time in the 50 years that the school’s been in existence that this type of thing has happened,” said El Rancho Assistant Principal Marc VanKlooster.

About 30 El Rancho students were on the bus about 3:45 p.m. when the .380-caliber semiautomatic handgun went off, said Sheriff’s Deputy Joseph Nunez.

According to Sheriff’s Deputy Darren Harris, the bus driver heard a gunshot and stopped the bus at Jackson Street and Passons Boulevard to investigate. She discovered the 15-year-old boy with a graze wound to his wrist, authorities said.

A witness driving behind the bus saw a gun being thrown out the window and took the weapon to the Pico Rivera sheriff’s station, Harris said.

“We believe it to be an accident, but we’ll present the charges to the district attorney,” said Lt. Mary Leef. “It does make you wonder what kids that age are doing with a gun.”

On Thursday, most of the students on the bus returned to school, meeting with guidance counselors and psychologists. A few stayed home.

VanKlooster said that the school has three Los Angeles Unified School District police officers on campus and that all three quickly arrived at the shooting scene. “We’ve been pretty vigilant, but it’s difficult for any school to predict these things,” he said. “This type of incident is still the exception, not the rule.”