Saturday, October 30, 1999
School massacre averted
Four students accused of plot at high school
BY AMY BETH GRAVES
The Associated Press
CLEVELAND — Police arrested four students and questioned seven others Friday in a racially motivated plot against a city high school, Mayor Michael R. White said.
Mr. White would not comment on a report that the attack planned for Friday at South High School was similar to the one by two students at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo., last April.
He said police seized two guns from a student's house but did not know if they were tied to the plot.
The 11 students were white and planned to disrupt the predominantly black South High with “violent acts,” said Mr. White, who on Thursday ordered the school closed for the day.
“We are not playing around,” he said. “There is going to be a zero tolerance to any child bringing violence into a school.”
Mr. White said the students planned to get weapons from an area gang but are not gang members.
“This was more than cafeteria banter,” he said. “I assure you these four would not have been arrested and charged with felonies if prosecutors didn't think there was enough behavior to warrant this.”
TheCleveland Plain Dealer reported that a massacre was planned for just before noon, when students would open fire in the cafeterias and the principal's office.
Authorities said they did not know why the students planned to attack on Friday, but noted that the school's homecoming was to have been that day.
The four students were each charged with two counts of inciting to violence and one count each of false alarm, aggravated menacing/ethnic intimidation and inducing panic. If convicted, they could be jailed until age 21.
All 11 students allegedly involved were suspended for 10 days, Mr. White said.
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