Two 15-year-old girls accused of planning an attack at a Southern California high school were reportedly motivated by revenge, according to authorities.
Corona police told KTLA that the girls had made “specific plans” for a “revenge-based attack” at Corona High School.
“They were trying to make specific plans as to how they were going to carry out this revenge-based attack,” Corona Police Department Lt. Robert Montanez told KTLA. He emphasized that the discussions were serious, saying, “This was not joking around. This was not a one-off conversation.”
Investigators also determined that the girls had searched for ways to obtain a firearm, despite their age. They reportedly discussed hunting-license requirements and whether firearms could be bought online or acquired through other sources, Montanez said.
The FBI alerted local police to the girls’ social media conversations. One girl was arrested Oct. 6, while the second was taken into custody Oct. 20.
Police determined that the alleged attack was not imminent, even though the girls had begun planning it.
“They were still very much in the planning stages,” Montanez said, adding that the girls had not selected a date for the alleged attack.
FBI Director Kash Patel said in a statement that authorities had disrupted “a potential act of targeted violence against a Southern California high school” before anyone was injured.
Patel said the FBI discovered online communications about a “planned school attack.” The Los Angeles FBI field office then acted “immediately,” identified the people involved and coordinated with local police to take the teenagers into custody.
“There is no greater priority than protecting our kids, and threats against our schools will be met with the full force of the FBI and our partners,” Patel said.
The Riverside District Attorney’s Office is reviewing the case, officials told The California Post. They said no charges had been filed at that time and declined to release the teenagers’ identities.
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The office later told The Post that, “pursuant to Welfare and Institutions Code section 676,” it would not confirm whether charges had been filed or disclose the girls’ identities. Officials said the law protects juvenile privacy and supports rehabilitation by giving young people an opportunity to pursue a productive adulthood.
The Corona Police Department investigated the case with assistance from the FBI, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office and officials from the Corona-Norco Unified School District. The identities of the two 15-year-old girls have not been released.
The district said neither girl has returned to campus since the investigation began Oct. 6.
“We are grateful for the swift response of the Corona Police Department and their continued partnership throughout this investigation,” the district said in a statement.
“We understand that hearing news like this can be unsettling for families, and we want our parents to know that the safety and well-being of our students and staff remain our highest priority. CNUSD has established safety protocols, monitoring systems, and strong partnerships with local law enforcement to help identify and respond to potential threats.
“These measures are part of our ongoing commitment to providing safe and supportive learning environments for every student.”
School officials said there is no current threat to the campus.
The investigation comes days after a teenager carried out a deadly school shooting at an elementary school in Oregon.
Sixteen-year-old Griffin John allegedly opened fire at the Oregon elementary school, killing three young children and a teacher. John had previously attended the school. A bystander shot and killed him at the scene after he entered the building with a shotgun.
He allegedly killed five-year-old Rhoam Summer, an eight-year-old and an 11-year-old, along with teacher Megan Lambert, 25, in his former special education classroom. John’s motive is unclear, but he had a dark origin, growing up with an alcoholic father who beat the boy’s mother and threatened her with a knife before he was even born.
