Bomb threat prompts evacuation at Aliso Niguel High School but proves to be ‘unfounded’
Aliso Niguel High School was briefly evacuated Monday morning after a bomb threat — which proved to be “unfounded” — was called into the school, Orange County sheriff’s officials said.
Authorities said the threat was called in around 8 a.m., about two hours before classes were scheduled to start. School starts at 10 a.m. on Mondays, according to a district spokesperson.
Capistrano Unified School District spokesperson Ryan Burris said the campus was evacuated while law enforcement searched the school. Students were moved to Foxborough Park.
“The campus was cleared, students are safe, and the Orange County Sheriff’s Department is investigating,” Burris said.
Orange County Sheriff’s Sgt. Mike Woodroof said the school was cleared and closed to students and staff out of an abundance of caution.
Suspect Jamal Jackson, 24, had tagged a Northridge ice cream shop with gang members and took offense when he saw people painting over it, LAPD said.
After sweeping the area, the Sheriff’s Department’s bomb squad cleared the campus and said the threat was unfounded, authorities announced via social media.
There were no reports of injuries, Woodroof said, and the campus reopened shortly after 11 a.m.
Burris noted that while the evacuation proved to be unnecessary, “every situation is unique, and we adapt based on the circumstances and communication with law enforcement.”
“In this instance, school was not in session and most students who were on campus were not in classrooms,” he said.
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