3 students found with weapons at Sacramento-area schools amid wave of campus threats
Three students have been arrested on suspicion of bringing weapons to Sacramento-area schools in the past four days, though authorities said they were unrelated to the nationwide threats targeting several schools across capitol region.
The threats — typically the same message with a school’s name added or superimposed — circulated on social media last week. Four schools in the San Juan Unified School District, one in Placer Union High School District and an undisclosed number in Natomas Unified and Sacramento City Unified school districts were targeted, according to The Sacramento Bee’s previous reporting.
Parents said on social media that John F. Kennedy, Hiram Johnson and C.K. McClatchy high schools also saw a threat, according to parents who took to social media themselves to warn others of the threats.
Spokespersons with the Sacramento Police Department and the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office said no arrests have been made in connection to those threats.
Each time, the threat was not credible. It’s unclear if the three students were inspired by the social media school threats.
Two teenage boys were accused Monday at Arden Arcade’s El Camino Fundamental High School of possessing weapons, according to the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office.
A 14-year-old boy showed off what appeared to be a handgun placed in his waistband to other students, deputies said. It was found to be an Airsoft pistol with its orange tip removed. It’s unclear what charges, if any, the teenager will face.
Another 15-year-old boy was cited after deputies said he was found with two pocket knives. He was released to his parents, deputies said.
“While both students knew each other, they did not appear to have collaborated, and there was no plan or plot for violence,” the Sheriff’s Office wrote online, which added staff members found the weapons about 9:30 a.m.
The Sheriff’s Office is investigating the incident and asks anyone with information to call detectives at 916-874-5115 or the Sacramento Valley Crime Stoppers at 916-443-4357. Tips can be left anonymously and may be eligible for a $1,000 reward.
Another student was arrested Friday at Will C. Wood Middle School in Fruitridge Manor after Principal Mary Cha told parents in a letter that the student made a “poor decision” that endangered the safety of everyone.
“This news is disheartening in its own right, but for it to occur on a day when there were so many hoax school threats across the country demonstrates why these threats are so dangerous and must all be investigated properly,” Cha wrote.
Cha said students reported the boy to staff, who then secured the weapon. The child will face disciplinary action under the Sacramento City Unified School District’s “zero tolerance weapons policy,” Cha wrote.
“I would like to also express my gratitude to the students who bravely and responsibly came forward to report this incident. We tell our students to practice ‘see something, say something’ and this is an example of why that is so important,” Cha said.
Officers were called just before 2 p.m. to the site for reports of a student with a weapon and retrieved it, said Officer Allison Smith, a spokeswoman with the Police Department. It’s also unclear if the student will face charges.
