San Diego

Teen With Screwdriver Hurts Staff Member, Threatens Classmates at Mount Carmel High School

San Diego police rushed to a local high school Thursday morning after a student armed with a screwdriver threatened suicide and tried to harm other students.

A staff member who stopped the student suffered a minor hand injury, San Diego police said. No students or other staff or faculty were hurt.

The teenager walked into the school theater at Mount Carmel High School in Rancho PeΓ±asquitos before 7:30 a.m. and made threats to students while holding a screwdriver, police said.

The unidentified student also threatened to kill himself, police said.

When the student started to chase classmates, a staff member quickly stopped him and suffered a hand inury, police said.

Students were told to leave the theater and the school's principal put the campus on lockdown while waiting for law enforcement to arrive.

The lockdown was lifted at about 9 a.m. School district spokesperson Christine Paik said classes returned to normal by lunchtime.

The school's principal kept parents informed with a series of email alerts.

"It's important to give as many confirmed details as possible so that we're not alarming parents, but we're keeping them informed," Paik told NBC 7.

"I was a little scared, but at Mt. Carmel, we're really safe," said Natalia Bowles, a ninth-grader. "No matter what, with the police department really close, I felt safe and that everything's going to be ok."

The teenage suspect was referred for a psychological evaluation while in custody. Police said that student also faces criminal charges, including making criminal threats and brandishing a weapon.

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