A Dark Portrait of Two Teens

Oct. 12, 2007 — -- Details are emerging about a "Columbine-style" plot uncovered outside of Philadelphia that came on the heels of a school shooting in Cleveland that left four injured and the shooter dead.

Two different cities, two different outcomes, but the same problem — troubled 14-year-old boys driven to plans of violence.

In Plymouth Township, Pa., police uncovered an arsenal — guns, knives, swords, subversive literature and four homemade hand grenades one with a fuse in it — in a 14-year-old boy's bedroom.

"Had the fuse been lit, it would have exploded and sent everywhere like shrapnel," said Bruce L. Castor Jr., Montgomery County's district attorney.

After the teen endured bullying and severe torment, his parents removed him from school and taught him at home.

Former classmate Jack Thornton said the boy "didn't have any friends, got made fun of a lot." But on the Internet, his alter ego was the world's youngest mercenary.

The boy's pain fueled his need for revenge. Prosecutors say he was contemplating a Columbine-like assault on Plymouth-Whitemarsh High School, but was turned in by a boy he'd tried to recruit as an accomplice.

"This is a success story. This is one where the good guys won one," Castor said.

If there's any solace in the pain of Columbine, it's that parents and teachers are paying more attention.

"Students and or adults in almost every school shooting have known ahead of time, have heard threatening comments or some red flag that could have potentially prevented an incident," said Ken Trump, a school security expert.

There were plenty of red flags flying at SuccessTech Academy in Cleveland, where 14-year-old Asa Coon opened fire on teachers and classmates Wednesday before killing himself.

A photo released of Coon shows him smiling after a chess tournament victory, holding up the trophy he'd won. It's an image that suggests the intelligence many recalled about him, but the true picture of Coon was much darker.