3 staffers allegedly stabbed by ex-student at private California special-ed school

An ex-student allegedly stabbed three staff members and made a bomb threat at a Torrance special-education school on Monday morning, Oct. 13, police said.

The violence broke out about 8:15 a.m. at Switzer Learning Center, a private K-12 special-education school at 2201 Amapola Court, south of Del Amo Boulevard.

The suspect attempted to stab a fourth person before he fled.

Officers took the suspect into custody, and he said he placed two pipe bombs in the area of 208 Street and Amapola Avenue, Torrance police said.

Two of the victims were taken to a hospital and treated for non-life-threatening injuries. The third victim was treated at the scene by the Torrance Fire Department.

Surrounding businesses sheltered in place as the Los Angeles County sheriff’s bomb squad worked to find any bombs.

Around noon, a loud explosion was heard near the campus.

Torrance police would only say “incendiary devices” were discovered and declared safe by the sheriff’s bomb squad. Officials have not said if the explosion was from the bomb squad detonating suspected devices.

The Switzer Learning Center referred all inquiries to Torrance police, which declined to provide more information.

The school offers specialized behavior support for students, with special-education teachers in addition to therapists, speech and language pathologists and certified crisis-prevention-intervention behavior specialists, according to the school’s website.

The school was established in Torrance in 1972 by Janet Switzer, an educator focused on children with learning disabilities. Students can be referred to Switzer from their home school district; parents can enroll them at the campus as well.

There were students at the school on Monday, according to ABC7, but how many was unclear. But in 2023-2024 the school had 58 students, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

What appeared to be a backpack and knife were seen on the grass at the scene via ABC7’s helicopter images.