A distressed mother contacted law enforcement in a panic when her suicidal teenage son disappeared, taking with him some of her firearms and dressed in camouflage. This set off an extensive search just hours before a tragic shooting incident at a San Diego mosque.
For two tense hours, police officers worked urgently to track down the suspects, now identified as 17-year-old Cain Clark and 18-year-old Caleb Velasquez. Their efforts were intensified following the mother’s emergency call, which came before shots were fired at the Islamic Center of San Diego on Monday.
According to San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl, the mother informed authorities that her son had taken weapons and her vehicle was missing. This information was crucial as officers tried to prevent any potential harm.
At the time of his disappearance, her son was wearing camouflage and accompanied by a friend.
As the urgency of the situation escalated, police utilized automated license plate readers to trace the vehicle and proceeded to a nearby mall in their search efforts.
Authorities also issued alerts to a school one of the teenagers was known to attend and continued gathering details from the mother, according to Chief Wahl.
When reports of the shooting came in roughly two hours later, cops responded within four minutes of being called.
The teens had already gunned down three men, including hero security guard and father of eight, Amin Abdullah.
The suspects were found in a vehicle after killing themselves a few blocks from the scene.
Anti-Islamic writings were found in the suspects’ vehicle and “hate speech” was written on the firearms used in the shooting, sources told The Post.
It wasn’t immediately clear which of the teens’ moms first alerted cops.
Clark had attended Madison High School and was a standout wrestler, according to the school’s social media page.
The details emerged as authorities planned to execute search warrants related to the investigation on Tuesday as they piece together how and why the shooting unfolded.
