Incendiary devices were found in a vehicle that rolled onto a sidewalk and struck three people near Taft Elementary School in Santa Ana on Monday, May 23, but did not appear to be intended for use in any sort of attack on the campus, Orange County sheriff’s officials said.
The three hurt in the crash at about 8:30 a.m. on the 400 block of Keller Avenue, a block from the school, were expected to recover, Santa Ana police Sgt. Maria Lopez said.
At least two were Taft students; it is unclear if the third was a student, a school district spokesman said.
The devices found were described as incendiary — not explosive — but further details about the items were not immediately released.
The driver was a man in his late 20s and officers found him suffering from what appeared to be a self-inflicted stab wound, authorities said.
Witnesses say this red car drove into 3 kids walking to school in Santa Ana. A man emerged from the vehicle covered in blood with a knife. The driver was detained near a park. Story at 5pm on @FOXLA pic.twitter.com/eFhcZYr7Av
— Travis Rice (@traviscrice) May 23, 2022
Earlier, he had attempted to use the restroom at the school, but was escorted off of campus by the staff, Lopez said.
It was not immediately clear why his car travelled onto the sidewalk and into the three people after he left.
Police responding to the crash notified the Orange County Sheriff’s Department’s bomb squad and the Orange County Fire Authority after discovering the first device in the car, Lopez said. Three more were found inside the car.
None were found at the school, and it did not appear that the school had been under any direct threat, sheriff’s Sgt. Scott Steinle said.
As a precaution, the campus was put on lockdown until 11 a.m., said Fermin Leal, a spokesman for the Santa Ana Unified School District.
The name of the driver was not immediately released. He was in police custody while in treatment at a hospital for his stab wound as of Monday afternoon, Lopez said.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.