Jeffrey Lyne Cox , a senior at San Gabriel High School , took a semi-automatic rifle to school on April 26 , 1988 , and held a humanities class of about 60 students hostage for over 30 minutes . Cox held the gun to one student when the teacher doubted Cox would cause harm and stated that he would prove it to her . At that time three students escaped out a rear door and were fired upon . Cox was later tackled and disarmed by another student . A friend of Cox 's told the press that Cox had been inspired by the Kuwait Airways Flight 422 hijacking and by the novel '' Rage '' , which Cox had read over and over again and with which he strongly identified . He pleaded no contest to charges of kidnapping and assault with a deadly weapon after the jury deadlocked . He was sentenced to five years in prison
Kuwait Airways Flight 422 hijacking
Kuwait Airways Flight 422
San Gabriel High School