An eighth-grade student at Malibu High School was arrested for allegedly possessing a “Halloween Hit List” with student names on it, the school district announced Tuesday in a news release that was contradicted by Sheriff’s Department spokeswoman.
The student, who attends class on the shared middle and high school campus, never made a specified threat, according to an email to the school community sent by the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District Monday.
But a list of student names he possessed was titled “Halloween Hit List,” according to the email.
“We found the student and the list,” the email stated. “We have taken appropriate school action and the Sheriff’s Department is also involved.”
The 13-year-old student was the subject of a threat-assessment investigation on the part of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, department spokeswoman Nicole Nishida said.
The school’s principal contacted the Sheriff’s Department after hearing rumors about a hit list, Nishida said. After a search warrant was served at the student’s home, and the student and his father were interviewed, deputies found no evidence of a threat, Nishida said.
The list of 15 students was intended to name those whom the teen wanted to egg on Halloween, she said.
The student was not arrested, Nishida said, contradicting statements from the school.
The student’s parents have cooperated fully with the investigation, a news release from the district issued Tuesday stated. The parents of the students who were allegedly threatened were also notified, as were the student’s teachers, according to the release.
“Due to the nature of the threats,” the student was arrested Monday and will be removed from campus until the district and authorities determine he can return, the release stated.
A school district representative, who described the student as an eighth-grader, said only the school’s principal could speak to the arrest. Principal Dave Jackson was not available Tuesday, the representative said.
“The District takes all matters related to student safety very seriously,” Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District Superintendent Sandra Lyon said in the news release. “As a school district, we must support the needs of the individual student, while also being vigilant in our efforts to promote a safe learning environment for our entire student body.”
Counseling was being made available for Malibu High School and Middle School students.
The school, located in an affluent coastal area, had 1,170 students enrolled in grades six through 12 in the 2013-14 academic year, according to the most recent available state data.
KTLA’s Jennifer Thang contributed to this article.
