Updated Oct. 22, 2026, 1:27 p.m. ET
Two teenage girls have been arrested on conspiracy to commit murder charges after police said they plotted for months to commit a shooting at a Southern California high school.
The teens, both 15 years old, planned to carry out the shooting at Corona High School, according to police in Corona, California, a city of about 160,000 residents in Riverside County, about 50 miles from downtown Los Angeles.
The Corona Police Department said that it first learned of the threat on Oct. 6 from the FBI, which identified concerning communications on social media about a possible school threat to Corona High School. The investigation led to the “immediate” arrest of one suspect, a student at Corona High School, police said in a statement on Oct. 20.
Police executed search warrants at several residences and identified a second 15-year-old suspect, a student at nearby Norco High School, the statement said. She was also arrested. The Norco student had previously attended Corona High School, the Corona-Norco Unified School District said in a statement.
“The evidence obtained showed the two suspects had spent several months researching school shootings and how they could carry out a potential attack at Corona High School on an unspecified future date,” the police department said.
They also talked about how they would obtain weapons, but were unable to do so yet, police said. No weapons were found during searches.
Both teens face charges of conspiracy to commit murder and are in custody, police said. Their identities were not released.
Sgt. Brandon Palaoro told USA TODAY that revenge appears to be an element to the motive. The teens had a list of names and maps of the school, he said. Police have been able to identify and contact most of the people on the list of potential targets, Palaoro said.
“(S)afeguards and collaboration thwarted a serious plan being developed by two teens who clearly have issues. This incident serves as a stark reminder that threats exist, but collaborative and swift action by the community, schools, and law enforcement is what protects our kids,” Palaoro said.
Neither student has been on campus since the investigation began, the school district said.
“We understand that hearing news like this can be unsettling for families, and we want our parents to know that the safety and well-being of our students and staff remain our highest priority,” the Corona-Norco Unified School District said.
USA TODAY has reached out to the FBI for more information.
News of the arrests comes days after a 16-year-old shooting suspect in Oregon opened fire in a special education classroom at an elementary school, killing three young children and one teacher. It was the 28th mass killing of the year in the United States, of which 21 were shootings, according to James Alan Fox of the Associated Press/USA TODAY/Northeastern University Mass Killing Database.
