Student arrested on weapons charges

At about 12:38 p.m. today the Maricopa Police School Resource Officer assigned to Maricopa High School called for assistance due to a report from a student that there was a gun on campus (see Police respond to false alarm at Maricopa High School).

The SRO placed the school into lockdown and other MPD officers responded to assist. Information was quickly developed, which led Maricopa officers to a classroom where, within about seven minutes of the initial report, a 16-year-old male student was taken into custody and a simulated handgun was seized .

The simulated weapon, a plastic toy “air soft” gun which actually shoots small plastic pellets, had been modified and colored to look more like a real hand gun.

The student was arrested and transported to the Pinal County Juvenile Detention facility where he was booked on several criminal counts, including disruption of an educational institution, misconduct involving weapons and endangerment.

Editor’s note: Maricopa Police subsequently sent out a revised press release stating that the student was booked on one felony charge of disrupting an educational institution.

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