Ian David Long remembers his bus volatility

MONTCLAIR, Calif. (AP) – A second high school coach of the gunman who killed 12 people in a Southern California bar on Sunday recalled him as volatile and intimidating, and said repeated complaints addressed to school administrators for his behavior could not encourage discipline.

Evie Cluke coached Ian David Long as part of the athletics team at Newbury Park High School in 2007 and 2008. In an interview with The Associated Press, she stated that Long was a "time bomb" who was constantly losing his temper, his anger and shouting against the coaches. he did not like their decisions. She said she had already witnessed the killing of another coach.

Coach Dominique Colell said Long grabbed his back and abdomen after refusing to return a cell phone. Another time, he used his hand to imitate him by shooting at him, said Colell, adding that she feared for herself whenever she was near him.

Cluke said that she had also seen Long claim to shoot Colell.

"When Dominique went back and saw that, she became pale as a ghost and it was very, very scary," Cluke said. "Just sadistic. … he was out of control. He screamed and screamed and his face turned bright red and people turned away from him. "

Long, a 28-year-old former Marine machine gunner who served in Afghanistan, opened fire during the University Night at the Thousand Oaks Borderline Bar and Grill on Wednesday night. He killed 11 people and a police officer who fought back and then killed himself, the police said.

The authorities have not determined a reason.

Colell removed Long from the track team immediately after assaulting her, but she and Cluke said that the track coach had asked her to reconsider her decision as this could jeopardize Long's goal of joining the Marines. Head Coach Cluke canceled Colell's decision to fire Long from the team and told him that she did not have that authority, while the now retired director dismissed him as a single incident.

Long joined the team after being excused in front of several coaches and administrators.

Cluke said that she, Colell and her father, also a track coach at the school at the time, repeatedly reported Long's behavioral problems, without success.

"You have to do something about this kid. He needs help. Cluke said she told the administrators about it. "And they're like," Well, he's got a good heart he'll be fine. Just talk to him.

E-mails to various high school administrators were not immediately addressed on Sunday. Attempts made by representatives of the school and his district on the phone and in person for comments were unsuccessful Friday, while both were closed due to a massive and deadly forest fire In the region.

Cluke remembers once where her father and she sat with Long for a discussion and asked him why he wanted to be part of the army. Her answer, she said, "is burned in my soul."

"He said that he wanted to be part of the Marines because he wanted to go fight in the war for our country and that he wanted to kill for our country," she said. "When you hear someone say that he wants to be part of the military because he wants to kill people on behalf of our country, it's scary." This even cooled me to the bones. "

She said it was time for school administrators across the country to take behavior problems seriously.

"It's not the army, the video games or the music that's causing it," she said. "It's the inaction of people in authority."

She added that if other coaches and school administrators had acted as a result of complaints about Long, "he could have gotten help and 12 innocent people would not have died now".

"The warning signs were there," she said.