Panic at Branding Iron

Design: Ted Yarmoski | Photos: Amelie Lee and Angela Yang

STUDENTS BOLT FROM STADIUM AFTER RUMOR SPREADS

Threats of an active shooter on campus caused students to leave the stadium in a panic on Friday night.

Story by Angela Yang

Social media posts and video footage collected from students and parents show various perspectives of the events that followed rumors of a potential shooter threat on campus.

Video by Ted Yarmoski

EDITORIAL: BRANDING IRON INCIDENT MUST PROMPT CHANGE

In the aftermath of the game, students and teachers should be better prepared for life-threatening situations on campus.

Story by Amelie Lee

Weak gun control laws spur fear among students in school activities.

Story by Amy Miyahara

BRAHMAS LOSE BRANDING IRON FOR SECOND TIME IN A ROW

Despite leading at halftime, Brahmas lose for second year in a row in Branding Iron game.

Story by Ryan Lam

BRAHMAS SPEAK OUT ABOUT EXPERIENCES

Jason Xie, Senior

“I received a text from a friend in yearbook saying that someone’s mom said that someone from Diamond Bar was going to shoot up the school, but I just ignored it because groundless rumors like this aren’t that uncommon.  After a couple minutes, I noticed that everyone in the bleachers began to shuffle out of their seats as if the game had finished. I just assumed that everyone was feeling bitter that the the game was coming to a close, but after our football team started making a break for the fences I realized that something was up. That’s when I began to believe that the baseless rumor I had heard might actually be reality.”

Tori Kwon, Junior

“I saw everyone to my left starting to leave, so I thought it was because we were losing. I thought everyone was overreacting but then a guy standing near my friends and I started saying to leave because there’s a shooter in the crowd. So I got really scared and grabbed my friends and started to run through the crowd. We were all calling our friends and family who were at the game to make sure they were okay and I was in so much shock and I was trying to process what just happened.”

Natalie Marron, Senior

“I feel like in the very very beginning it was kind of scary, but then after a while, it wasn’t that big of a deal because [shooting threats] kind of happen. It’s sad to say, but it happens.”

Simran Sandhu, Senior

“I think it’s hard to say how to prepare for it, but the petition lists important things we need to incorporate. When students unite to say something, it’s a much louder voice as in comparison to the individual.”

Fiona Huang, Junior

“I checked my phone and I got a text which was sent like 15 minutes ago, but I didn’t see it. It said that someone was planning to shoot up branding iron and I should be cautious. So I showed my friends and we started talking to the people next to us and we all agreed that it was better [to be] safe than sorry. So we all started leaving and we told the people next to us and everyone started freaking out and people next to me started sprinting which freaked more people out and next thing you know everyone was running. My friends and I and a group of freshmen jumped the fence and ran across the softball field toward the foreign language buildings, jumped the fence and went into someone’s backyard. People were crying and calling their parents and it was pretty chaotic.”