Mark Segraves, wtop.com
WASHINGTON – Police have arrested a 16-year-old high school student after he was caught with a loaded gun inside Crossland High School in Prince George’s County.
School officials tell WTOP the incident happened Tuesday afternoon during a security check at the Temple Hills school. A police officer assigned to the school found the .32 caliber handgun and confiscated it.
“Appropriate disciplinary action was taken according to the PGCPS Code of Student Conduct to remove the student from the school,” says Lynn McCawley with Prince George’s County Public Schools.
Lt. Bill Alexander with the Prince George’s County Police says the officer was making a routine inspection of the bathrooms when students were supposed to be in class. The officer came across the 11th-grader, who also had marijuana in his possession.
“That’s when the officer searched the student and found the gun,” Alexander says.
A letter went home to parents the following day informing them of the incident.
“Yesterday during the last period, our School Resource Officer confiscated a weapon from one of our students. There was no altercation and at no time was any student or staff member in danger. An investigation was conducted by the Prince George’s County Police Department and it was determined that the school was safe and secure,” the letter read.
Although the school has security staff at the door, students do not pass through a metal detector to enter the building, police say.
The student has been charged with carrying a gun, possession of a controlled dangerous substance and intent to distribute a controlled and dangerous substance.
The Crossland incident comes the same week police arrested two other teens in connection to the murder of 16-year-old Marcus Jones. Police say the Jones murder was gang related. A police spokesperson stresses the Crossland incident is not related to the Jones murder and the suspect at Crossland has no known gang affiliations.
Follow @SegravesWTOP and @WTOP on Twitter.
(Copyright 2013 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)
