An ex-student allegedly stabbed three staff members and made a bomb threat at a Torrance special-education school on Monday morning, Oct. 13, according to Torrance police.
The violence broke out about 8:15 a.m. at Switzer Learning Center, a private K-12 special-education school at 2201 Amapola Court, south of Del Amo Boulevard.
The suspect attempted to stab a fourth before he fled.
Officers took the suspect into custody, and he said he placed two pipe bombs in the area of 208 Street and Amapola Avenue, Torrance police said.
The Los Angeles County sheriff’s bomb squad was on the way to the scene to investigate the bomb threat; the public was advised to avoid the area.
Two of the victims were taken to a hospital and treated for non-life-threatening injuries. The third victim was treated at the scene by the Torrance Fire Department.
The Switzer Learning Center offers specialized behavior support for students, with special-education teachers in addition to therapists, speech and language pathologists and certified Crisis Prevention Intervention behavior specialists, according to the school’s website.
The school was established in Torrance in 1972 by Janet Switzer, an educator focused on kids with learning disabilities. Students can be referred to Switzer from their home home school district; parents can enroll them at the campus as well.
It was unclear how many students were at Switzer on Monday, but in 2023-2024 the school had 58 students, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
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