Hero teacher 'didn't have time to think'

[undeterred]

Source: San Francisco Chronicle

In the moments after a young man detonated two pipe bombs at Hillsdale High School in San Mateo, English language development teacher Kennet Santana didn't have time to think about what he should do.

Instinctively, as students crouched for cover in their classrooms, Santana, 34, moved toward the explosions. He was confronted with the sight of the youth, wearing a tactical vest with what turned out to be eight other pipe bombs. The teacher didn't know the devices were bombs. He also didn't know that the suspect, identified as a 17-year-old former student at Hillsdale, was armed with a chainsaw and a sword with a 2-foot blade.

All Santana knew was that this boy was a threat - and that he had to stop him. Without hesitation, Santana tackled the boy shortly after 8 a.m. Monday and yelled at other teachers to call for help. Principal Jeff Gilbert, counselor Ed Canda and Santana held the teenager down until police arrived.

Now, the campus community and authorities are crediting Santana with helping to avert what could have been a disaster: A law-enforcement source said the boy, whose name has not been released because of his age, nursed a grudge against some teachers and had planned to detonate all 10 pipe bombs before attacking students with the chain saw and the sword as they fled.


Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/08/25/BASE19DFN6.DTL&tsp=1

[WriteDown]

1. Man, that is nuts. nt

[pasto76]

2. good for him!

thank you for saving lives at great risk to yourself!

[jody]

3. Santana knows when attacked by a criminal and seconds count, police are only minutes or hours away.

[CreekDog]

6. he was interviewed on tv here this morning and he didn't do a lot of thinking

he didn't have time.

he simply reacted.

[jody]

9. Victims react in one of three ways -- flee, submit, fight. Santana chose to fight. n/t

[imdjh]

10. or sing

See you in September
See you when the summer's through
Here we are (bye, baby, goodbye)
Saying goodbye at the station (bye, baby, goodbye)
Summer vacation (bye, baby bye, baby)
Is taking you away (bye, baby, goodbye)

Have a good time but remember
There is danger in the summer moon above
Will I see you in September
Or lose you to a summer love
(counting the days 'til I'll be with you)
(counting the hours and the minutes, too)

Bye, baby, goodbye
Bye, baby, goodbye
Bye, baby, goodbye (bye-bye, so long, farewell)
Bye, baby, goodbye (bye-bye, so long)

[TrogL]

13. I prefer to word it...

"When there's trouble watch where people are running. I count as my peers the people running towards the problem."

I used to teach Junior High School. We shared a common mindset. The students came first, no matter what. It was a matter of pure instinct.

[pasto76]

37. no, its not instinct

our teacher obviously has given thought to "what if" scenarios. Thats why he confronted it. He think sliced the scene and decided his best course of action (presumably motivated by wanting to prevent anyone from being kileld - or maybe he just wanted to tackle the kid) was to hit him before he could light another bomb.

excellent choice wouldnt you say.

[liberalhistorian]

26. So because I chose to "submit" to my mugger

when he had a gun shoved in my ribs, instead of trying any funny stuff, does that make me a "wimp" in your eyes?

[jody]

27. I did not judge any of the three behaviors nor will I now. Have a great day. n/t

[tavalon]

45. Actually, it is less about instinct and more about innate ways of dealing with things

and depending on the situation each one of those choices can be the right or the wrong one. You are here typing so you made a right decision. Were there other right choices? How the fuck can anyone but you know. All I know is you choose one of the right ones and none of them are wimpy, they are self preservation and sometimes other preservation. Humans are fascinating creatures and I'm glad you're still among us.

[Soylent Brice]

4. a chainsaw and a sword?

what, did he think they were zombies??

[happygoluckytoyou]

22. yes..... his CROSSBOW and BOOMERANG we being repaired.....

[Soylent Brice]

25. and he pawned his nunchucks last week.

[proteus_lives]

32. If he did, he's a moron.

Chainsaws and swords aren't great zombie weapons.

Shotgun and crowbar are the way to go.

[Soylent Brice]

48. i'm for the hammer, and hatchet, myself.

[wysimdnwyg]

5. Wait just a damn minute

Are you telling me the teacher didn't have a gun and didn't shoot the kid with the pipe bombs? And he was still able to subdue the boy? Why, that's just ludicrous!

:sarcasm:


For the followers of the second amendment here, this is in no way a commentary on your ability to own a gun, or even carry it in public (given proper training and authorization). It is a commentary on the argument that teachers should be able to carry on school property.

[kath]

7. And he didn't even have a Taser!!

[Pavulon]

14. Yeah fuck that.

not about teachers carrying but a 17 year old person with a bomb or gun is a fair target for lethal force, including a dead check. meaning shooting him twice in the head once he is on the ground to be sure he is unable to detonate a bomb.

[kegler14]

16. Since the guy didn't have a gun, this story is obviously false.

[gorfle]

29. If he had a gun.

If he had a gun he would not have had to risk blowing himself up by tackling a person carrying bombs. People don't carry guns because it's the only way to defend yourself. It's just usually the less risky way to go about it.

What this incident shows is what I said all along. Getting rid of guns won't stop mass murderers set on killing a bunch of people. If all guns vanished tomorrow they will just resort to bombs, like this kid did, or simply fill your car up with bottles of propane and gasoline and drive it into the front of the building at 90 MPH.

[Grinchie]

8. Shocking! Hand to Hand Unarmed Confict with results!

Don't tell the Police.

[Pavulon]

15. All about odds.

if you kid is the one going to be filled with nails when this ass detonates a bomb, you may want the option of something more effective than a fist fight. Luck is nice, but it is just luck.

Tactics are not luck, luck can come in execution of a planned tactic. That would mean shooting him and then destroying his CNS. Given the option I am sure the person would rather have had that option other than just a fight that may end up with him in dog food size chunks.

[Grinchie]

28. That's what separates the socially conscious from the selfish

Sure a predator drone, or mechanized acid spitting robot is nice, but at what cost? Time is of the essence when monsters such as this are allowed to proceed unimpaired.

While I'm sure that you value self preservation Pavulon, if doesn't help society when you hide behind weapons you don't have, and are too timid to act out of fear and ignorance.

Your generous photo of the "Results of a Pipe Bomb" are more akin to what our soldiers in Iraq experience daily. Remote controlled, and as powerful as your Photo, whereas, the student in this case would not have free access to unguarded bunkers full of U.S. Ordinance like the Iraqi's did when Bush decided that it was not necessary to protect them. I grew up in an age where Firecrackers of all types and sizes were legal, and I know that you aren't going to get that kind of gib's from a homemade pipe bomb, unless it is pretty darn big. It's just the physical laws of nature, given the materials available to a 17 year old. I doubt he was able to purchase C4 or sticks of dynamite.

It's clear that you don't think that swarming a suspect can affect change, or maybe you think that a High School exhibits the same risk as a war zone or Bank Holdup with heavily armed villains. Sadly, you have bought into the myth of Mass Media and Hollywood hype. Those are extremely rare events, and about as likely as you being struck by lightning, twice in a month. If he was holding a firearm of any type, I wouldn't attempt anything. The odds are too imbalanced.

If you want to live in fear Pavulon, feel free to do it, but don't expect other people to support your Cheerleading of a heavily armed police force that cannot afford to risk injury and resort to weaponry in order to function.

You'd actually be amazed how much damaged a chair leg can do to someone, but you won't see it in Hollywood moveies Pavulon, because it might give people ideas about actually defending themselves and actually taking responsibility for maintaining order when miscreants such as this appear.

[Pavulon]

31. Yep the power of prayer and chairlegs?

thats what destroyed nazi germany..

Did you read the link, he detonated a bomb.

Hit that link a pipe bomb is pretty fuckin easy to make. You can see the damage done to others. a piece of pipe filled with shotgun shell gunpowder will kill everyone within about 15 feet. It is a frag grenade. I have seen the damage they do.

youtube tatp, that is what blew up buses in london. You can make it from chemicals in your home, with a helpful video.

I advocate common sense. I was instructed that if I was in a position to be using the bayonet issued to me or fighting hand to hand something had gone horrible wrong. Fuck a swarm, we are not bees, a guy detonating explosives in public is best dealt with by aimed rifle fire.

[wysimdnwyg]

38. Let me get this straight.

Are you advocating that teachers should be allowed - perhaps even encouraged - to go about their daily teaching duties while armed? And what happens when, as is not terribly uncommon in schools most would categorize as most likely to need someone armed, one or more students subdue the teacher with the gun unexpectedly and then they TAKE said gun? Or what happens when the poorly trained (or even UNtrained) teacher tries to "defend himself or his students" and accidentally shoots the wrong person?

No, I think I prefer the teachers of my children just teach. Leave the security to the professionals who are properly trained and must pass qualification and psychological exams on an ongoing basis.

I will agree that what this particular teacher did was not only incredibly brave, it was also incredibly risky. But if the kid had rigged the explosives to be more like a frag bomb (with nails and such), the teacher tackling him also made it much less likely that anyone other than he and the kid were hurt by it. At the same time, shooting the kid may have just as easily led to a bomb going off with no one to absorb the brunt of the blast alone, potentially causing the injuries to be more widespread. (I can hypothesize, too.) In all reality, the police would almost certainly advocate a more passive approach by the teacher (whether armed or not), in favor of letting those trained to handle this type of situation the opportunity to do so. But in this case, the teacher likely saved lives and he should be lauded as a hero.




Oh, and one last thing. Can we PLEASE dispense with the Nazi references? With the way that is thrown around these days, one might think it was a reference to something as innocuous as the loser of the Super Bowl. What happened in Europe in the '30s and '40s was devastating on many levels, and not everything in our society is in any way analogous.

[Pavulon]

39. Not about teachers or pacifism or germany.

obviously the guy did a great thing. Given the chance I am sure he would like to maximize the chance he gets home to see his family, not blown into small chunks of goo. Jumping on a grenade is a great act for everyone else. Given the choice most "jumpers" would have prefered to kill the person before they tossed it.

The reference is to use of force, sub in japan. I was not sent to the leftovers of yugoslavia with a table leg. The police probably use the same M4 we had, except not old and worn out. I would prefer a police officer shoot him in the head.

The response by police and response teams is to kill a person with explosives followed up with multiple shots to their head.

The police would have killed him on sight if he failed to follow commands or was acting when they were onsite. Columbine stopped their wait and see tactic.

[Grinchie]

41. Technology does not replace intent.

It appears that you are enamoured with the weapons of the day, not the actual courage it takes to take down a foe.

You appear to be more of a sniper type than anything else. If that is so, if people see you, you are nothing more than dead meat, and unable to cope when given the same situation as everyone else.

[Pavulon]

43. I am more the push your earthen berm

cover onto you burying you alive type. Luckily never had to visit a place where that was required. I did hand out water bottles after hurricanes and protect peoples shit from being stolen. Courage is shown by showing up, any asshole can shoot someone or blow them up. Coming back when you know people are trying to shoot you or blow you up earns respect.

[Name removed]

40. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Pavulon]

42. Nope, Next time you fly a regional jet

odds are my company, and possibly I set up the shop that made its engines. Pretty comfortable with my common sense and ability to function with people across the distribution of intelligence. I dont give a shit if you own a gun.

You are a dumb motherfucker if you think a pipe bomb will not turn you into a pile of shit your mom would not recognize.

Oh yeah, not a nascar fan, but some of the best engineers I have met work with their teams and could buy and sell everything you will ever accumulate, in a polite southern accent, ten times over.

BTW it may be against the rules to accuse me of a felony, if not it does make you a leaking gaping asshole.

[Pavulon]

19. Hey Genius, here is pipe bomb injury. (graphic) I prefer to take a 9mm hit. This is not a joke.

[driver8]

11. A real hero!!

What an amazing story, and an amazing man!

[Robb]

12. NOW can English majors get some respect?!?

What do we have to do, fight unarmed against someone with bombs, chainsaws and swords?

"Now that's a mother-lovin' elenchus, kids." :D

[Javaman]

18. there's a joke in here about the pen being mightier than the sword...nt

[happygoluckytoyou]

24. there WILL BE.... just as soon as they put the SWORDSMAN in the PEN !!!

[Mika]

17. With such a grudge against teachers and school he should've become a Republican..

.. representative.

Then he, like Republicans in general, could carry out his grudge against teachers and schools quite legally, and done so with nary a wimper from the general public.

[Bigmack]

20. 34 year old.... english teacher.... brave...

probably junior in seniority....I wonder when he'll get laid off....

[YvonneCa]

21. Teacher does good. Let's hope this gets some news...

...coverage. (MSM seems to prefer those 'teacher-has-affair-with-student' stories.) :)

[HopeHoops]

23. Chain saw?

STARTING one of those can take 60 seconds or more!

Unless it is electric - in which case he would have needed some serious extension cords.

[greiner3]

30. Santana, now where have I heard of a name like that?:

Thanks Carlos; go Latinos!

[proteus_lives]

33. Mr. Santana is a hero.

I hope he has a happy and lucky life ahead of him.

:thumbsup:

[griz2008]

34. and where do you think kids get this stuff?

From all their gun-toting whackjob parents (and gun-toting isn't insulting gun-ownership or use, but Gun Worship-- you know, town hall stuff).

They get the idea from hearing their parents talk about violent insurrection, seeing hannity and beck go on about it, and having guys like Tim McVeigh lionized by the libertarian/conspiracy crowd.

So if it's okay for the GrownUps to solve their problems with guns and bombs, then it's okay for Junior, too.

[Pavulon]

35. Yeah, Ace Hardware and youtube..

I dont give two shits about his politics or his parents. He is now guilty of attempted mass murder, terrorism, use of a WMD (many states consider bombs WMDs) and should spend 25 years in prison.

A pipe bomb is not swiss watch complex.

[Pavulon]

36. Oh yeah maybe he is working on "hero"

status on an unnamed internet website.

[anigbrowl]

46. Um. no

You can get all that kind of stuff on the internet you know. I had a youthful fascination with fire which had absolutely zero to do with my parents. In the context of aggression towards the school, that sort of thing happens with depressing frequency so you don't need to turn on fox news to be aware of the idea. I don't see any political dimension in this, any more than there is in most school shootings. that could change as more facts come out, but jumping to conclusions isn't usually enlightening.

[progressivebydesign]

44. good for that teacher. Sadly, we are now reaping the effects of raising kids on violence...

... used to be that movie goers actually passed out watching someone dangling off a building in a silent film. Now? 16 year old girls watch the remake of the Texas Chainsaw Masacre, and giggle. Gee.. look how far we've come.

[Starry Messenger]

47. Good on ya, Mr. Santana!

Thank you.

[tbyg52]

49. Amen. nt