Ontario student charged for allegedly plotting shooting at his high school

ONTARIO, Calif. (KABC) — An 18-year-old student authorities say had researched school shootings and had an arsenal of guns at his home was charged Wednesday with planning to attack a high school in Ontario.

Sebastian Villasenor, a student at Ontario Christian High School, made his first court appearance Thursday morning in Rancho Cucamonga.

He was charged with five counts of attempted murder and one count of attempting to make criminal threats, the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office said in a statement. He’s being held without bail.

The 18-year-old was taken into custody after a fellow student came forward with concerns of him being fixated with school shootings and had access to weapons, Ontario Police Chief Michael Lorenz said at a news conference Wednesday.

The school principal notified police last Thursday about the student’s concerns.

“What we discovered through the course of our investigation revealed that Villasenor had every intention of carrying out a school shooting at the Ontario Christian High School,” Lorenz said.

“During our investigation we learned Villasenor was obsessed with school shootings and police response times,” Lorenz added. “He researched tactical supplies and was in the process of choosing a specific date to carry out the school shooting.”

Numerous weapons – seven rifles, two revolvers, one handgun and one shotgun – were found in the student’s home when he was arrested Saturday, Lorenz told reporters. Police also seized more than 1,000 rounds of ammunition.

The suspect’s parents legally owned the weapons, police told Eyewitness News.

Police say during interviews with Villasenor, he told them there were at least five specific students he wanted to target. The suspect’s motive is unclear. Police say he was not bullied, however, he had trouble building relationships with classmates and had an obsession with the Columbine shooting.

Lorenz said investigators believe Villasenor may have been planning a shooting around April 20, which is the anniversary of the 1999 attack at Columbine High School.

The student who reported Villasenor was praised by the police chief.

“To be clear, the student who came forward – who saw something and said something – is a hero,” Lorenz said. “That student saved lives, spared families from losing their children and a community from being devastated from a senseless act of violence.”

School officials said not only are they grateful to law enforcement, but also to the student who stepped forward with the information that led to the arrest.

“We’re grateful that this is not another version of this story,” said Jason Gaudy, president of the Ontario Christian School Association Board. “There are a lot of people that were a part of making that happen.”

Parents are also glad someone spoke up.

“We have strict laws in California, and therefore, I’m grateful for those laws, but at the end of the day, it’s that person that has that unwilling or awful heart to be able to carry this. Those thoughts, to me, is ‘What’s wrong with the kid? Where are the parents?” said Sandra Collaso, a local grandmother.

Lorenz said there is no additional threat to students or staff.

Parents say they’re happy with the way police and school officials handled the situation.

“Obviously, my first reaction was, ‘Let me go pick her up or something,'” said Ari Becerril, a parent with a daughter at the school. “But she basically told me, ‘You know mom, everything is under control. There’s a lot of cops.’ She felt safe.”