Bomb Prank Suspect Apologizes

A local high school student accused of setting off homemade explosive devices at his school apologized Friday to everyone he let down.

“I feel like I’ve let down everybody who has been really close to me: my parents, who have been there through everything, all my friends, the student body that has looked up to me and, especially, my teachers, who have done nothing but help me, teach me everything that they could,” Laforteza said.

Several plastic bottles containing some type of acid and another unidentified substance were set in trash cans a few feet from where students were having lunch last Friday at San Ysidro High School. Six of the bottles exploded. No one was hurt, but the bombs were big enough to have hurt or possibly killed someone, investigators said.
   
No one was hurt.
   
Laforteza calls it a prank gone wrong. Because of what happened, he was not allowed to walk during his school's graduation ceremony on Thursday night.
   
The teen had a message Friday for any other teenagers thinking of planning a prank.

“[After] 9/11, things like this just aren’t taken lightly, and you should think twice before you even consider something like this,” Laforteza said. “I wouldn’t want anyone to go through what I’ve been through, so make sure you know what you’re doing before you do it.”

Laforteza has not officially been charged with anything, but his family lawyer expects charges could come next week.

“You have to realize that everything you do in your life will have consequences attached to them, whether you realize it or not, and they’ll impact you for years to come,” Laforteza said.

It’s not yet known what Laforteza would be charged with.

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