Oct 21, 2009 6:31 am US/Eastern
Cops: NY Teen Planned Massacre On Columbine Anniv.
Monroe High School Student Arrested Monday; Said To Have Set 11-Year Anniversary Of Colorado Attack As D-Day
Teen Told Police He Was Bullied About Resembling Columbine Attacker
CENTRAL VALLEY, N.Y. (CBS) ―
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A student who attends Monroe Woodbury High School in Monroe, N.Y. (pictured here) was arrested after planning a massacre on the school on the anniversary of the Columbine attack.
CBS
Police say the threat was real and could have been catastrophic.
An upstate teenager is under arrest and was in a psychiatric ward on Tuesday night. Using a torch, machete and homemade bombs, cops said he planned a Columbine-style attack on his former high school on April 20 – the 11th anniversary of the massacre.
"He wanted to obviously kill people," Monroe Police Chief Dominic Giudice said.
And the 15-year-old was accumulating a cache of weapons. Detectives uncovered a machete, a torch and fuses, ingredients for explosives and a black trench coat the boy said he bought to resemble Columbine killer Eric Harris. He told police he felt a strong connection to him.
The teen had the date set, so police moved in on the boy's home on Monday.
Neither his parents, nor sister, were home, a sister who attends the very high school he planned to attack.
Students learned of the vicious plan after getting a letter from the superintendent, stating a former student was making threats and had been arrested.
"He never seemed like that bad of a kid. I was surprised it was him who was going to do that," said Monroe-Woodbury High School senior Brandon Gristina.
"I was so scared because of all my friends. Imagine if Columbine would have happened to us," senior Katie Dodson said.
The unusually forthright suspect, who had recently been expelled, told police he had a lot of hatred towards a lot of the kids who attend Monroe-Woodbury High School.
"He indicated to us that the reason for doing this was he was tired of being bullied," Chief Giudice said.
The teen has been charged with two counts of criminal possession of a weapon. The boy also said he was actively looking for an assault-type weapon.
Monroe Superintendent Joseph DiLorenzo issued the following letter to parents in lieu of the investigation:
"The Monroe Police have arrested a student for making threats against the high school. The student, although registered with the district, attends school at a satellite location. The police believe that the threat had credibility and the investigation is ongoing. The willingness of students to come forward with information and the quick response of the police have averted any threat to the district. As always the safety of our students and staff is of primary concern. We will continue to be diligent in our efforts to monitor the conduct of all of our students. We are working closely with law enforcement to do everything possible to keep our children safe."
Police believe the boy was acting alone in the plot.
The investigation is ongoing. If you have any information that you believe is important to this case call the Monroe Police Department at 782-8644.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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