Authorities are investigating a situation at a California special needs school, where a former student allegedly stabbed three staff members and set off two bombs nearby on Monday morning.
The incident occurred at around 8:15 a.m. at the Swiss Learning Center, a private school in Torrance that serves neurodiverse students from kindergarten through 12th grade, as stated by the Torrance Police Department.
Reports indicate that the suspect tried to stab a fourth staff member before fleeing the scene, but was later apprehended by police.
While being taken into custody, the man claimed he had placed two pipe bombs near the school at the intersection of 208th Street and Amapola Avenue. The Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department Bomb Squad was dispatched and discovered the two devices, which were classified as “incendiary,” according to police.
Authorities took precautions by detonating the devices at the scene. Nearby residents were advised to steer clear as the area was secured.
Two staff members were hospitalized with injuries that were not life-threatening, and another staff member received treatment on-site.
Details surrounding the suspect and the reasoning behind this attack remain unclear.
The knifeman, whose name has not yet been disclosed, is currently in custody.
His mother, Christina Morales, expressed her concern, noting that she had been anxiously waiting for hours for her 18-year-old son, who is on the autism spectrum, to come home from school.
“I’m nervous,” she shared. “He gets stressed easily.”
Morales mentioned that she was dropping her other son off at school when she received a call from her daughter about the stabbing. “She told me that one student had brought a knife and tried to stab another student,” she recalled. “My son ran and hid.”
The frightened mother recounted her son’s quick thinking; he instructed seven other students to conceal themselves in a warehouse, blocking the door with chairs for safety.
She noted that they even used garbage bags to cover themselves and stay hidden.
The investigation into this disturbing incident is ongoing.
