Officers say they responded to the school around 9:41 a.m. Monday after an anonymous report of a student with a gun. They detained a 13-year-old boy who had a loaded .38 caliber semiautomatic handgun in his backpack. According to investigators, the eighth-grader had a loaded magazine in his pocket.
The gun was registered to a family member who lives with the student. Authorities served a warrant on the student's home and seized a .22 caliber rifle, which was not registered. The owner of that gun was cited and released.
The boy was arrested and booked into Orange County Juvenile Hall on weapons charges.
Police say four other boys were also suspended for knowing about the gun and not reporting it. One of them was a transfer student and will automatically be sent back to his home district. The other three could face expulsion or transfers.
Parents of students at the school were notified about the incident Monday evening. Some parents told Eyewitness News they are frustrated with the lack of information because all they received was an automated phone message.
The school district would not comment on the incident, only saying that it is an ongoing investigation.
