Santa Cruz Police: 5th grader planned to harm students at Bay View Elementary

An 11-year-old boy was removed from an elementary school in Santa Cruz after making threats towards specific students.

Santa Cruz Police officers were called out to Bay View Elementary School around 2:20 p.m. Tuesday regarding a students aggressive behavior in the classroom.

“An 11-year-old male student physically acted out causing concern,” said SCPD spokesperson Joyce Blaschke.

When officers arrived they found the 5th grader had barricaded himself inside a classroom.

School officials were able to get students out of the classrooms and to safety.

“The student was safely removed from school, and transported to a care facility,” said Blaschke.

The student’s family is cooperating with investigators.

Santa Cruz Police recovered one gun from the child’s home.

“The police School Resource Officer is there to ensure the safety of students and staff in our city schools. We are thankful the situation was resolved as quickly and safely as possible, without injury to students or staff,” said Blaschke.

School and law enforcement authorities believe that communication is keyto keeping everyone safe.

“We would strongly encourage people, if they know someone who is acting out or being violent towards animals or other people, to let us know that because those are the kind of tips that we can work through with the schools to make sure that this person is getting the care that they need to prevent things in the future. So now’s the time,” said Santa Cruz Police Chief Andrew Mills.

“Contact the police, contact the school, contact your teacher, contact your school district, we’re all here to listen and to respond and ensure that we are supporting all of our students,” said Santa Cruz City Schools Superintendent Kris Munro.