RIVERSIDE: Two students arrested after campus attack plot uncovered

RIVERSIDE – Two freshman students were arrested after authorities uncovered a plot the boys were making to conduct a future attack at the school Monday, Dec. 5. The attack was being planned for the campus of Martin Luther King Jr. High School in the City of Riverside.

Riverside Police Department and Riverside Unified School District officials began an investigation after receiving an anonymous tip reporting that one or both of the two boys were planning to bring a gun or other weapons onto the campus.

The tip was received before school started and school staff immediately notified Riverside PD’s School Resource Officer. RUSD activated the school site safety team, including administration, psychologists, counselors, key teachers and the site School Resource Officer to assess the threat.

With the school’s assistance, the officer located the students involved and the pair was immediately detained.

After officials detained the two 15-year-old boys who were planning the attack, they conducted searches at the boys’ homes. During the searches, authorities discovered evidence that corroborated the plans the boys were making.

Officers arrested both students and the two were both booked into the Riverside County Juvenile Hall for possession of knives and ammunition on campus. Additional charges of conspiracy to commit murder were also filed against the two.

Even though there was no immediate threat, Riverside police officers increased their presence at the school to ensure the safety of students and parents.

“As soon as King High School received information on a potential threat, the District and the Riverside Police Department took swift action to identify and locate the student,” Timothy Walker, RUSD Assistant Superintendent, Pupil Services & SELPA – Special Education said after the arrests.

Every campus within RUSD has an active school safety plan in place, the School Threat Assessment and Response, which was designed to address any incident or threat where student and/or staff safety is potentially jeapordized.

When threats of violence are brought to the attention of RUSD schools and police department, the STAR protocols are activated to bring a community effort response to anyone threatening or inflicting violence at a school.

“Those protocols are in place to help keep our kids, teachers and staff safe at the schools while a thorough and intensive investigation takes place,” Lieutenant Christian Dinco, East Neighborhood Policing Center commander explained. “We not only want to hold anyone making threats to cause harm at our schools accountable, but to also have them evaluated within the mental health component of the STAR protocol.”

“The Riverside Police Department encourages the public ‘if you see something, say something.’ RPD and RUSD are thankful we have citizens that stepped forward in this case,” Dinco said.

RUSD Superintendent Dr. David Hansen said, “On behalf of the entire Riverside Unified Board of Trustees, we want to assure all parents and members of our school community that safety, for students, families and staff, is at the top of our priority list. The District will continue to work diligently to ensure the safe and secure learning environments necessary for a high-quality education.”

Anyone with information regarding this investigation is encouraged to contact Detective Jim Simons at (951) 353-7138 or School Resource Officer Jeff Mattson at (951) 789-5690, ext. 62249. Callers can remain anonymous.

 

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Trevor Montgomery spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg in an off-duty accident.

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations, including the Robert Presley Detention Center, the Southwest Station in Temecula, the Hemet Station, and the Lake Elsinore Station, along with many other locations.