Updated 5:20 p.m. with more details on the boy’s arrest and detention.
A Hilltop High School ninth-grader was arrested Wednesday after he allegedly brought a loaded handgun onto the campus, authorities reported.
An assistant principal at the Chula Vista secondary school called police about 11 a.m. to report that several students had seen the 14-year-old student displaying a handgun, Lt. Fritz Reber said.
“They claimed the suspect student … made statements indicating that the gun was loaded and that he could potentially use (it) to shoot someone at school,” Reber said.
When officers went to the boy’s classroom and summoned him, he stood up and reached for his backpack, though not in “an aggressive way,” the lieutenant said.
They rushed over and took him into custody without incident. Inside the suspect’s book bag was a loaded .44-caliber revolver believed to belong to his father, according to police.
“Detectives are actively working the case and are intent on serving search warrants at locations related to the suspect,” Reber said. “At this time, it appears that the student acted alone, and there are no outstanding suspects.”
The arrested teen was expected to be booked into juvenile hall on suspicion of bringing a loaded firearm onto school grounds.
Any adult who allowed the suspect access to the pistol could face a criminal charge, as well, Reber noted.
–City News Service
