Four California students face charges in pipe bomb explosion

Apr. 29--HANFORD -- Two more Hanford High School students were arrested Monday in connection with last week's campus pipe bomb explosion.

The latest arrests bring the number of suspects arrested to four in an incident in which no one was hurt but one law enforcement official said could have serious consequences for the students, including jail time. Felony charges have been filed.

A 6- to 8-inch pipe bomb exploded at 12:15 p.m. Thursday, scattering debris over a large area inside a fenced location near the school's automotive shop.

Local authorities are not taking the incident lightly at a time of heightened national concern over terrorism and domestic school shootings. The case even caught the attention of federal law enforcement officials.

The explosion forced the school into a three-hour lockdown Thursday, and the blast was strong enough to seriously injure someone, Hanford Police Chief Carlos Mestas said.

The first two suspects in the case -- boys ages 15 and 16 -- were arrested Friday at a home on High and Douty streets just several hundred feet from the school. Hanford police Lt. Greg Freiner said the suspects are not related.