The investigation started with reports of a student making threats. Then officers found what appeared to be a stockpile of explosives and other deadly weapons.
San Diego police took a Poway, California, high schooler into custody Friday after fellow students alleged that the teen threatened to shoot up their school.
But the teen’s father also became entangled in the criminal investigation soon after, when officers found illegal explosives, untraceable guns and other weapons at the family’s home, police said.
In response to the reported threats, police obtained a gun violence restraining order against the teen, giving them the power to secure any firearms to which the student might have had access, the San Diego Police Department said in a news release. When police searched the home Tuesday morning, officers found the weapons — lots of them, and many illegal ones, officers said.
The teen’s father, 45-year-old Neal Anders, was later arrested on suspicion of possessing illegal firearms, manufacturing assault weapons and possessing a destructive device. The alleged arsenal included untraceable guns, commonly referred to as ghost guns, which do not have a serial number and are often assembled by purchasing parts sold without background checks. NBC San Diego reported that the confiscated cache also included rocket-propelled grenades and other explosive devices.
San Diego police officials said teams continue to work to ensure the safety of the community and students at Rancho Bernardo High School in Poway, where the threat was first reported Friday.
The teen was apprehended soon after other students reported “another student showing concerning videos and making threatening statements against others and the school,” according to an email sent to Rancho Bernardo families from Principal Hans Becker over the weekend.
Becker praised the students who reported the incident for acting responsibly and said that although the school remains safe, San Diego police would be on campus this week “providing a reassuring presence.”
The San Diego Metro Arson Strike Team assisted with the retrieval and seizure of the explosives from the family’s house.
___
© 2024 Los Angeles Times
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
