A 16-year-old was arrested this week after allegedly trying to recruit students for a mass shooting at Berkeley High School in California, per local police.
Regional outlet KTVU reported Wednesday the suspect was arrested on May 30 when he turned himself in, with the initial tip having been received that prior Saturday. In a press release, the Berkeley Police Department said officers had arrested the unnamed 16-year-old boy after receiving a tip alleging he had “been recruiting other high school students to participate in a mass shooting and/or bombing at Berkeley High School.”
Police said the 16-year-old had tried recruiting students for a shooting at Berkeley High that would have also involved explosives. A residence search warrant was obtained and executed after the initial tip, with police later saying the list of recovered items included “parts to explosives,” assault rifles, knives, and more.
Following a review of evidence and interviews with witnesses, an arrest warrant was obtained. On Monday, the 16-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of possessing destructive device materials and threatening to commit a crime which will result in death or great bodily injury.
The investigation remains in progress, as does a separate investigation (per KTVU) that’s being handled by the Berkeley Unified School District.
The news comes in the wake of a school shooting in Uvalde, Texas that left 19 children and two adults dead. Recent coverage of the shooting has focused on the police response, with widespread criticism having continued to grow. Sources told ABC News this week that both the Uvalde Police Department and the Uvalde Independent School District police unit were “no longer cooperating” with a state investigation into the shooting.
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