COTTONWOOD – A call from a concerned person in Tennessee led to the arrest of two teenagers in California, authorities say.

The Tehama County Sheriff's Office says, back on May 9, deputies started investigating a call they received from a Tennessee resident. The caller claimed that a person they were gaming with online had allegedly made some concerning statements about school violence.

Not only did the suspect allegedly talk about having a manifesto, the sheriff's office says the caller reported that the gamer allegedly talked about planning to target Evergreen Middle School in Cottonwood. Further, the suspect allegedly showed the caller photographs of himself and another person posing as the Columbine school shooters.

"I believe there's also some videos that were sent of different aspects of this that confirm their plot and their thought process," Tehama County Sheriff Dave Kain. "I think the combination of all that really weighed heavy on the Tennessee juvenile."

An attack was allegedly planned on May 9, but one of the suspects apparently backed out.

Deputies alerted the school and were quickly able to identify both of the suspects as Tehama County teenagers. Both of the suspects were then served search warrants at their Bowman and Lake homes on May 11.

Detectives noted that evidence found during the searches substantiated the claims made by the Tennessee caller.

"It was determined that the juveniles built and tested two improvised explosive devices in preparation to use in the attack on the school," Kain said. "The suspects were hopeful to amass a casualty count of in excess of 100 individuals." 

Kain said that the suspects intended to murder a set of parents before the attack.

The suspects, who are 14 and 15 years old, were arrested and booked into juvenile hall. They're facing charges of criminal threats, manufacturing destructive devices, possession of a destructive device, and conspiracy.

Investigators believe the incident was isolated to the two suspects. 

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• Tennessee