Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

COVINA - A student was quickly identified as the culprit who phoned in a threat of a school shooting at Sierra Vista Middle School Wednesday morning.

The phone call, made at 8:09 a.m., was traced to inside a classroom at the school, 777 E. Puente St. Using security video from the classroom, the student was identified as having placed the threat, according to Sgt. Marquez of the Covina Police Department.

The student is reportedly special needs.

The caller told dispatchers that a police presence was needed because there was going to be a shooting. The school and officers determined within an hour that the threat was not credible, Marquez told SGV CityWatch.

“The classroom actually had a camera, so we ended up reviewing the camera and it showed the kid actually making the phone call,” Marquez told SGV CityWatch.

“Please be assured we are pursuing all legal and disciplinary action as threats to schools are not a joke,” said Danielle Traviseo, principal of Sierra Vista Middle School, in a email message sent by the school.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

COVINA - Homeland Security has joined numerous local agencies with a search of Covina High School after a series of threats were made against the campus Wednesday.

The calls sounded like prerecorded messages sent to both the school, 463 S. Hollenbeck Ave., and the Covina Police Department. Covina Police began fielding the calls around 9:30 a.m., according to Lt. Josh Turner of the Covina Police Department.

The threats indicated there would be explosions at the school. Covina Police fielded recurring calls over a 10 to 15-minute span, Turner told SGV CityWatch.

Only a handful of teachers and administrators remain on campus.

Roughly eight bomb-sniffing K9s are assisting. The Los Angeles County Fire Department is also assisting along with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Pasadena Police, San Gabriel Police and California Highway Patrol, Turner told SGV CityWatch.

Detectives are trying to pinpoint the location of the calls.