Daytona Beach police arrested a 16-year-old male at Mainland High School April 29 on charges he had a loaded gun on campus.
The juvenile had previously been removed from the Mainland campus on Feb. 18 after being arrested for marijuana possession and vehicle burglary. As a result, he was unenrolled from the school.
The teen initiated an attempt to re-enroll on April 23, officials said. On April 29 he returned to campus in an apparent effort to continue that process, police said.
School staff members recognized him and immediately notified the on-campus school resource officer. After contacting the youth, the resource officer confirmed the teenager was listed as a runaway juvenile and had an active court order directing that he be taken into custody.
Before transport, officers conducted a search and discovered that the teen was in possession of a loaded handgun concealed in his waistband, along with additional ammunition, police said.
The News-Journal is not identifying the youth because he is a juvenile.
No injuries, no ongoing threat after Mainland student found with gun
At no time did the youth make any statements indicating he intended to use the firearm at the school, police said.
Officers safely secured the gun without incident. At no point was the school placed on lockdown, and no injuries were reported.
Police said it’s being considered an isolated incident, and there was no active threat to the high school or surrounding community.
The 16-year-old is being charged with possession of a firearm by a juvenile, possession of a firearm on school property, and possession of ammunition on school property.
He was taken into custody and transported to the Volusia County Family Resource Center, where he will be turned over to the Department of Juvenile Justice.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Daytona Mainland High student arrested on campus with loaded gun
Reporting by Eileen Zaffiro-Kean, Daytona Beach News-Journal / The Daytona Beach News-Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
