Bomb threat empties out Walnut college, bags at Norwalk train station halt service

Bomb scares affected thousands of Losu2009Angeles County residents Thursday, after two bags spotted at a Metrolink train station in Norwalk delayed an estimated 2,000u2009commuters. Later, a bomb threat led to a lockdown at a high school and the evacuation of 12,000u2009college students and staff in Walnut.

In Norwalk, the sheriff’s bomb squad detonated the bags, which apparently didn’t contain anything suspicious. And authorities didn’t find a bombs at Walnut High School or Mt.u2009Sanu2009Antonio College.

Train service ground to a halt at the Norwalk/Santau2009Fe Spring Metrolink station after a sheriff’s public service officer saw the bags around 7:25u2009a.m.

Ramon Montenegro, spokesman for the Sheriff’s Transit Policing Division, said the bags were spotted at different locations but near each other. The station at 12650u2009Imperial Highway was evacuated and the Sheriff’s Arson & Explosive Detail notified.

Deputies shut down car and pedestrian traffic on Imperial Highway between Shoemaker and Bloomfield avenues. Employees of several businesses on the 12900u2009block of Imperial Highway were unable to get to work from around 7:30u2009a.m. until traffic was reopened at around 9:50u2009a.m. when the incident was cleared.

Metrolink spokesman Scott Johnson said thousands of passengers on five Metrolink trains were affected.

Four trains on the Orange County and 91u2009lines were rerouted to Losu2009Angeles through the Inland Empire. Two trains that were supposed to leave Losu2009Angeles were held at Union Station.

Half an hour after the incident ended in Norwalk, a note discovered in the boy’s bathroom at Walnut High School triggered a bomb scare.

Written in red ink, the note stated that a bomb will be blown up at the school and at Mt.u2009SAC at 2:45u2009p.m. The writer ended the note with, “God be with you all.” A picture of the note was posted online and shared on social media.

Matthew Witmer, assistant superintendent of educational services at Walnut Valley Unified School District, said a student found the note.

School officials called the sheriff’s Walnut/Diamond Bar station, according to Lt. John Saleeby.

The high school at 400u2009N. Pierre Road was placed on lockdown. Saleeby said deputies and dogs searched the campus, but didn’t find a bomb.

As he waited in front of Walnut High School for his ride home, junior Brian Wu said he and fellow students were conceed about the threat, but doubted whether it was credible.

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“If someone’s going to attack you, what’s the point of waing you?” Wu wondered. “We were skeptical, but what if?”

The student said he texted his mother to tell him about the lockdown. She told him to “be safe.”

Wu and fellow students took the incident more seriously after seeing news reports. A friend in San Francisco even texted Wu after seeing news of the threat.

Wu said thoughts of recent terror attacks, such as Tuesday’s airport bombing in Brussels, crept into his mind during the campus lockdown.

But he also noted that Thursday was the final school day before spring break.

“There’s a lot of tests,” he added.

Suzae Middle School at 525u2009Suzae Road was also notified about the threat. The middle school wasn’t placed on lockdown nor was it searched.

Mt. SAC sent out an emergency alert around 11:30u2009a.m. that sent thousands of students into the streets around the campus at 1100 N. Grand Ave., clogging traffic for hours.

According to students who posted photos on Twitter, traffic on Mt.u2009SAC’s campus left them struggling to leave.

Mt.u2009SAC’s Public Safety officers along with deputies and dogs searched the college but no bomb was discovered. Classes at Mt.u2009SAC resumed at 4:30u2009p.m.

Witmer said food was brought out when students at the high school were released at 1u2009p.m.

“It was a calm situation,” he said.

Staff writers Samantha Bush and Joshua Cain contributed to this report.