Two 15-year-old girls have been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder after investigators uncovered an alleged plan to carry out a shooting at Corona High School in Southern California, police said.
The FBI alerted the Corona Police Department on Oct. 6 about online communications indicating a possible threat against the school. A joint investigation led to the arrest of a 15-year-old Corona High School student. Detectives later identified a second suspect, a 15-year-old student at Norco High School.
Investigators found that the girls had spent several months researching school shootings and discussing how they could carry out an attack at Corona High School on an unspecified future date.
Their communications also included discussions about obtaining weapons, but investigators did not find any firearms during searches of their homes, according to police.
Corona police Lt. Robert Montanez told KTLA on Wednesday that the alleged plan appeared to be revenge-based, although investigators had not identified a specific motive or potential targets. He said the girls had discussed specific plans for carrying out the attack over several months.
Police said the teenagers had not obtained weapons and had not set a date for the alleged attack.
Both girls remain in custody. The case has been submitted to the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office for review. The investigation involved the FBI, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office and the Corona-Norco Unified School District.
Authorities have not released the teenagers’ identities because they are minors.