Ex-Student Arrested In Shooting Threat Against Chino Hills School

CHINO HILLS (CBSLA) – A 19-year-old Chino man was arrested overnight Monday after he made threats to commit a shooting at his former Chino Hills school, authorities said.

Nicholas Ceballos was taken into custody at his home just after 12:30 a.m. Tuesday after he made threats to "shoot up" Ruben S. Ayala High School, the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department reports.

It's unclear if the threats were made verbally or over social media.

Deputies were notified of the possible shooting plot at approximately 3 p.m. Monday. Ceballos was later identified as the suspect.

The sheriff's department did not confirm if any weapons were found at Ceballos' home.

He was booked into the West Valley Detention Center on one count of criminal threats.

This is the latest in a slew of similar arrests across the Southland following the Florida shooting earlier this month.

On Friday, the private Harvard-Westlake School closed its two campuses in Studio City and Beverly Glen after a former student -- believed to be ex-NFL lineman Jonathan Martin -- posted a disturbing message on Instagram that named the school. Martin was detained by Los Angeles police and checked into a mental health facility.

A student was arrested in a school shooting plot in South Whittier Feb. 16 after a stash of guns were found at his home, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said. His 28-year-old brother, an Army veteran, was also arrested.

Two Long Beach high school students were separately arrested Feb. 21, accused of making threats to commit shootings at their schools.

On Feb. 22, a 14-year-old eighth-grader at a Long Beach K-8 school was arrested for allegedly threatening school officials. He was taken into custody at the Tincher Prepatory School.

A 15-year-old freshman student was also arrested Feb. 22 in connection with an alleged shooting threat that forced the lockdown of a Santa Clarita school.

A 27-year-old Norco man was arrested Feb. 20 for a threat against a local college campus. A cache of weapons were found at his home, Riverside County Sheriff's deputies said.

On Feb. 22, two guns were found at the home of a 16-year-old high school student in the east San Bernardino County community of Yucca Valley who is accused of making shooting threats against his school.