By Danny Kelleher
Executive News Editor
and Alex Wyckoff
Staff Writer
Mira Costa received word of an alleged bomb threat on campus during the Feb. 29 school day.
According to Mira Costa principal Ben Dale, an anonymous caller warned of a Mira Costa male senior who had a bomb in his possession.
“The call went in to Redondo Dispatch,” Costa Security Resource Officer John Loy said. “All of the administrators – the vice principals and the principal – were notified.”
The information given by the caller to help identify the alleged student was vague, and since the original call, the police haven’t found any new information on the identity of the alleged Costa student or the current location of the supposed weapon.
“Although the caller provided a limited vehicle description, MBPD searched the lots and the perimeter of the campus for a vehicle matching the description, but could not substantiate the few details the anonymous caller provided,” Dale said in a press release. “The caller refused to provide his friend’s name or other identifying information and only stated he was a senior.”
Dale went on to say in the press release that the school has been granted additional police presence until the campus has been cleared.
“We continue, along with the district office, to be vigilant and cooperative with the local authorities as needed,” Dale said.
The police conducted a search of the perimeter during the school day.
“It’s kind of uncomfortable knowing there was a bomb threat but the school didn’t do anything to evacuate us,” senior Brad Beauchler said. “My hope would be that next time they at least inform us of what’s going while it’s happening.”
Loy acknowledges the possibility that the call was a prank.
“Unfortunately, if it was a true call, the caller provided such little information that we can’t find anything,” Loy said. “We don’t know who called. We don’t know what type of explosive. We don’t know what they’d plan to do with it.”
The police searched the perimeter of the campus and the neighborhood surrounding it but could not match the vague description to any vehicle.
“No new information will be released publicly until the investigation is completed,” Loy said. “The caller simply didn’t give us much.”
The Principal won’t talk to you guys in person or over the phone when a crisis like this happens? He really ought to be more open, especially when breaking news like this hits. How else are students going to know what’s going on?
He’s in New York right now. He’s been there since before the bomb threat, too, if I remember right.
He’ll probably talk to us when he gets back, and also when there’s more information. There’s pretty much nothing right now.