Two Green Mountain High School students have been arrested for detonating a homemade bomb Wednesday in the cafeteria during the school’s lunch period.
The boys, ages 14 and 16, took common household materials to school, assembled the explosive device in the cafeteria and blew it up, said Cindy Matthews, spokeswoman for the West Metro Fire Protection District.
There were no damages or injuries, Matthews said, but the two face “very serious” charges.
“They were sitting at a table, and everyone was eating,” Matthews said. “They made a relatively small device that was intended to make a loud noise to startle and scare people, which it did.”
Matthews said the explosion also attracted the attention of a security officer who notified the school resource officer.
Lakewood police, West Metro fire investigators and Jefferson County sheriff’s deputies responded.
Matthews said investigators went to the boys’ homes, where additional evidence was collected. “The parents have been very cooperative,” she said.
The two boys, who were not identified because of their ages, were arrested on investigation of unlawful possession of weapons on school grounds, possession/use of an explosive or incendiary device, and reckless endangerment. The Jefferson County district attorney’s office has until Tuesday to file charges, spokeswoman Pam Russell said.
Both boys have been expelled from school and were being held at the Mount View Detention Facility.
Staff writer Ann Schrader can be reached at 303-278-3217 or aschrader@denverpost.com.
