Written by Alex Betts
Staff Writer
Witnesses heard a firecracker explode near the SPHS tennis courts at roughly 3:30 p.m. Thursday afternoon. The suspect, described as a male teenager, attempted to run away through the promenade before SPHS faculty and students stopped him.
SPHS Athletic Director Gregorio Luna initially spotted the suspect on the SPHS campus.
“I heard scuffling between the two storage bins [near the gym]. We looked over and almost immediately saw what appeared to be an object flying from the bins upwards and then heard a loud explosion; it turned out to be a pretty big firework,” Luna stated.
An SPHS senior and witness apprehended the suspect as he tried to escape, cutting him off near the entrance to the cafeteria.
“[After] he started running away I chased after him,” the SPHS senior said. “I was able to physically apprehend him until [other SPHS faculty arrived].”
The suspect has been described as high school age, but it is unknown at this time whether the boy attends SPHS. Additional statements from SPHS staff indicate that the boy may have possessed other fireworks in his bag.
The police arrived at the scene within five minutes of the suspect’s detainment. He cooperated with both SPHS faculty and the South Pasadena Police Department(SPPD), who have taken him into custody for further questioning.
The SPPD and SPHS administration had no comment on the situation. This article will be continuously updated as more details are released; make sure to check on tigernewspaper.com for all the newer developments.
I graduated from South Pasadena High School years ago and I can honestly say I’m shocked at this. Students HELPED teachers detain a kid for a firecracker? OMG ! No offense but that’s where us older folks get the terminology “snowflake.” Lot’s of people had firecrackers when I was in school. I can’t imagine students calling a person who lights a firecracker A SUSPECT! There used to be a guy that drove all over town in his red truck throwing firecrackers out the window every day. We all lived to tell about it. Nobody blew up. Stay safe, snowflakes!