16-year-old arrested after planning shooting, explosions at Berkeley High, police say

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 Wednesday.

The teen was arrested Monday, when he turned himself in to police, Berkeley Police Department said in a press release. Monday was Memorial Day and there was no school that day. 

Police received a tip on May 21st of the teen’s alleged plot targeting Berkeley High School, which also included a possible bombing, and obtained a search warrant for his home, Berkeley Police said in a statement.

The search turned up parts to explosives and assault rifles as well as several knives and electronic items that could be used to create weapons, police said. 

Authorities also prepared a mental health response through the city’s Mobile Crisis Team to evaluate the teen. “School safety remains a high priority for the department,” police said in a statement. Details on who the teen was trying to recruit were not disclosed. Police said this case remains under investigation. 

Berkeley Unified Supt. Brent Stephens told the school’s community that the district was in close contact with police during this investigation. 

After police confiscated the teen’s weapon parts, the district relied on police expertise to assess any potential ongoing risk to its schools. The district communicated with police on the student’s whereabouts. 

“As added precautions during this period, we alerted our administrative and security staff about this investigation and, as is our standard practice, maintained close contact with our BPD School Resource Officer on the Berkeley High School campus,” Stephens wrote. “Throughout the investigation period, we were assured that this individual did not pose an immediate threat to the Berkeley High School community.”

The district is conducting their own investigation on this matter and may pursue disciplinary action against the student.