A California man has been charged after he allegedly pointed a gun at an elementary school administrator directing traffic during a morning delivery last week, Los Angeles prosecutors announced.
Vahe Armen, 32, allegedly drove into a busy car lane at Larchmont Charter Elementary School in West Hollywood on the morning of Nov. 16, then got out of the car with a gun in his hand and pointed it at a school administrator, according to a release from Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón .
The administrator saw Armen pointing an “assault-style” rifle at him, and he frantically waved at children inside the school before he got back into his car and drove away.
Police later arrested Armen on Sunset Boulevard, where he was found in his car with a gun, prosecutors said.
“In an era plagued by an epidemic of mass school shootings across our country, every parent in America faces unimaginable fears when they send their children to school. It’s an unfair burden that parents don’t have to bear,” said Gascón.
A parent, who did not want to be identified, told The Post there were unrelated calls for a bomb threat near the school earlier last week, which turned out to be untrue.
Parents and staff were already on high alert when they saw the suspect pull up to the school with the weapon on Thursday.
Vahe Armen, 32, allegedly drove into the Larchmont Charter Elementary School carpool lane and pointed a gun at a school administrator.
“About 10 minutes after everyone dropped off their children, we all got an alert from Citizen [phone application]so a group of families living nearby rushed back to school,” said the parent.
“The police were there and they said this person had been there before and they knew him. … Luckily nothing happened but of course the teachers looked very shocked. Honestly, it’s upsetting because this could have been avoided when city officials did nothing.”
Another parent, who also did not want to be named, told The Post that the suspect entered the school grounds through a parent carpool line.
“He got out of his car and he pulled out what looked like an automatic weapon and pointed it at one of the administrators who was handing out tardy slips,” the parent said.
The administrator saw Armen pointing a gun at him. He then frantically waved at children inside the school before the gunman got back into his car and drove away. KCAL
“He stopped in the carpool line and pointed a gun, but we had a great administrator who had to really think about his feet and was able to get the kids in. She saw him coming and was able to get the kids in right away. Then the school was closed.
Parents said they did not know who the suspect was or whether he had any connection to the school.
Armen faces one count of assault with a deadly weapon or in a manner likely to cause serious injury to a school employee, along with one count of weapons on K-12 school grounds.
He also faces charges for assaulting an elder from a separate October 24 incident.
It is unclear what the motive for the alleged incident was. Armen remains in jail on $5 million bail, and could face up to seven years if convicted.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
