Two 13-year-old boys, who attend Toro Canyon Middle School, were taken into custody Wednesday after bringing a handgun to class and what was then suspected to be a grenade, according to Sgt. Brandi Swan of the Riverside County Sheriff's Department.
Further investigation by the department's Hazardous Device Team revealed the alleged grenade was really a toy. Both boys were arrested and booked into Indio Juvenile Hall and face charges for minor in possession of a handgun and possession of a firearm within a school zone, Swan said.
Additionally, a suspected grenade found in one of the student's backpacks led to an evacuation of students and staff; however, bomb technicians determined it was a toy, Swan said.
"We went and retrieved that student and a backpack containing the handgun. Under closer examination of the backpack, there was an object that appeared to be in the likeness of a grenade, so out of abundance of caution for school staff and for our students that are here in school, the decision was made to evacuate the school," Bianca Hall, board president of the Coachella Valley Unified School District, said.
According to a report by Sgt. Swan, deputies from Thermal Station responded to the Toro Canyon Middle School Wednesday morning after school administrators reported that a male juvenile was seen with a firearm at a bus stop before getting on the bus to get to school. Sgt. Swan reports that students at the bus stop were the ones to inform school administrators about the incident. They also showed school officials a photo posted on social media by the same student the night before in which he is holding the handgun, Swan said.
Upon arrival, deputies spoke with the student, who informed them that he had given the handgun to another middle schooler, according to Swan. Deputies made contact with the second student, who admitted to placing the gun into a backpack in his classroom, the news release said. Not only did the backpack contain the handgun, but deputies also found inside it what resembled a grenade, according to Swan.
As a result of the suspected grenade, the middle school evacuated the building and bussed students to other schools to be picked up by family members.
Further investigation by the Riverside County Sheriff's Department Hazardous Device Team revealed that the alleged grenade was actually a toy with no threat to students or school staff. Bomb technicians had conducted a thorough inspection of the toy using x-ray equipment, Swan said in the report.
According to NBC Palm Springs, Las Palmitas Elementary School and Desert Mirage Middle School were evacuated in addition to Toro Canyon Middle School. In total, approximately 3,700 students were evacuated to neighboring schools, NBC Palm Springs reports.