Man pleads guilty to making bomb threats to 5 schools in Los Angeles

An Oklahoma man was sentenced to one year and one month in federal prison for making fake bomb threats to multiple schools in Los Angeles last week. Marcus J. Buchanan, 46, pled guilty in February to one count of making a telephonic threat to damage or destroy buildings by fire or explosives, per reports from the U.S. Attorney's Office.

On February 28, 2022, he called two elementary, two middle, and a high school. He also made threats to shoot kids as they left an elementary school in one of the calls.

According to court documents, Buchanan made additional threats on April 27 and 28, 2022, to two of the previously threatened schools. In one instance, he told one of the school employees, “There is a bomb at your school, and we will shoot the kids when they get out of the school. That is what you get for not accepting me in ’86.” When the employee asked who was calling, he threatened to shoot if anybody tried to identify him.

The school contacted the police to conduct a building search and went into lockdown. Nevertheless, during these searches, no bombs or strange objects were discovered.

In another call to the same school on April 28, 2022, Buchanan called and said that a pipe bomb had been left at the school. The school went on lockdown again. Once authorities searched the premises, no explosive devices were found. The same day, Buchanan called another elementary school and told them “Stop playing games, you know who this is. I am going to shoot the school. I know the kids are there.” No explosives were found at that school as well.

Officials later traced phone records and linked the threatening calls to Buchanan.