UPDATE: Police in San Mateo, California, said Monday that “a potentially very drastic event” at a high school was averted when school personnel subdued a former student who walked into the school armed with pipe bombs, a chainsaw and a 2-foot-long sword.

“It had the potential to be a catastrophic incident,” said police Lt. Mike Brunicardi, describing the incident in which two pipe bombs exploded and at least 1,200 students and faculty were evacuated from the Northern California school.

No one was injured in the incident, police said.

Brunicardi said a 17-year-old former student wearing a nylon vest packed with 10 homemade pipe bombs entered Hillsdale High School in San Mateo about 8 a.m. Monday. He detonated two devices, with smoke setting off the school’s fire-alarm system, before two teachers confronted him.

“The suspect was quickly wrestled down by a teacher who, with the help of the principal and another teacher, were able to hold him down until police arrived minutes later,” Brunicardi said.

The suspect’s intentions were not clear, police said.

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