The incident that sent 18-year old Walter Thornbourgh towards a slew of felony charges and the possibility of a long prison sentence came not with a bang, but a surprising pop and a puff of smoke.
Thornburgh says he’s a chemical enthusiast who was conducting a controlled experiment for friends. Police say he endangered lives and possessed several substances and other tools that can be considered weapons. Theo Douglas of The District Weekly interviews the Thornburgh family, police, former teachers and a UCLA physician to explain what happened in east Long Beach on October 23.
Why the UCLA physician? As if this story didn’t have enough angles to it, Thornburgh has been diagnosed with ADHD and Asperger’s Syndrome, which could explain some of Thornburgh’s reactions to the police officers that arrested him, as well as his enthusiasm and passion for the substances that ended up placing him in jail.
I won’t go into the story anymore, because there is really a lot more to it and Douglas tells it very well – it’s the kind of story that reveals more and more as it goes along, the kind that rewards those that see it through to the end, the kind that people don’t write anymore. So go check it out.