After School Threat, Cops Find Cache of Guns, Ammo

Police say they found a cache of guns and ammo, including two AR-15 rifles, in the home of a student who was overheard saying "he was going to shoot up the school sometime in the next three weeks." Los Angeles County Sheriff Jim McDonnell says the "disgruntled" 17-year-old was reported to authorities on Feb. 16, two days after 17 students were killed in the Parkland, Fla., mass shooting, ABC News reports. El Camino High School security officer Marino Chavez says he confronted the student after hearing him make the threat, reports the Washington Post. Chavez says after the student said he'd only been joking, he told him: "I know you students say a lot of things. But you can't be saying these words." Authorities say the student has an "extensive" history of disciplinary problems.

Police say that when they searched the student's Whittier, Calif., home, they found the AR-15s, one of which was unlicensed, as well as two handguns and 90 high-capacity magazines, the Whittier Daily News reports. The 17-year-old, whose name has not been released, is being held without bail on a charge of making a criminal threat. The student's brother, 28-year-old Daniel Barcenas, who told investigators he obtained the guns while stationed with the Army in Texas, is being held on charges including possession of an assault weapon. McDonnell says he believes the teen was "moving toward" an attack. The sheriff says 19 leads about possible school attacks have been received since last week's mass shooting, compared to 52 in all of 2017. (President Trump has proposed arming teachers to prevent school shootings.)