Authorities have arrested a 16-year-old in Berkeley, California, and accused him of attempting to mastermind a shooting and bombing at Berkeley High School.
A 16-year-old boy was arrested this week after police learned he was allegedly recruiting students to carry out a mass shooting at a high school in Berkeley, California, authorities said. https://t.co/qwKGTwDnDd
— CNN (@CNN) June 2, 2022
The situation unfolded back on May 21 when the Berkeley Police Department (BPD) got a tip regarding a teen who was actively “recruiting other high school students to participate in a mass shooting and/or bombing.”
A search warrant was eventually obtained, and Berkeley’s Mobile Crisis Team was also called in to evaluate the suspect.
Upon searching the teen’s home, authorities discovered “parts to explosives and assault rifles, several knives, and electronic items that could be used to create additional weapons.” An arrest warrant was resultingly issued, and the 16-year-old turned himself in on Monday, May 30.
He was specifically charged with suspicion of possessing destructive device materials and threatening to commit a crime that will result in death or great bodily injury.
Berkeley Unified School District (BUSD) Superintendent Brent Stephens released a statement on Tuesday.
“As the police investigation proceeded last week and culminated in an arrest yesterday, we have maintained very close contact with BPD,” Stephens noted. “Throughout the investigation period, we were assured that this individual did not pose an immediate threat to the Berkeley High School community.”
“We are committed to conducting our own separate investigation, within the parameters of our authority as a school district, and as the evidence warrants, pursuing all possible steps, including discipline, that will support student and community safety,” he added.
It’s currently unclear whether the suspect and those he tried to recruit were students at Berkeley High School.
This curbed incident comes amid an uptick in mass shootings and similar threats across the United States.
Less than two weeks ago, 21 people — including 19 young children — were slaughtered at the hands of an 18-year-old gunman in Uvalde, Texas.
Ten days ahead of this tragedy, 10 Black people were massacred in a racist attack conducted by an 18-year-old perpetrator in Buffalo, New York.
It’s also worth adding that a slew of bomb threats hit various historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) right around Black History Month, as Blavity previously reported. However, these bomb threats thankfully proved to be hoaxes.
