A student armed with a semiautomatic handgun was arrested Friday at Corona High School, though it was unclear why the boy was carrying the pistol and whether he intended to do harm.
“Our investigators are looking into every lead,” Corona police Sgt. Chad Fountain told City News Service.
According to Fountain, a police officer working as a campus resource officer was alerted just before noon by a teacher that the teenager, whose name was not released, was in possession of a Glock 9mm handgun, and the lawman immediately went looking for the suspect.
“He found him on the campus quad,” the sergeant told CNS. “He detained him there before the kid even knew what was going on. No one was hurt.”
Fountain credited another student with prompting the investigation.
“We emphasize the policy of `See something, Say something,”’ he said. “So a student found out that the juvenile had a weapon, and that student alerted a teacher, who in turn contacted our school resource officer, and everything moved quickly.”
Multiple patrol units were called to the campus at 1150 W. 10th St., and the school grounds were placed on lockdown briefly. But according to Fountain, most of the activity had subsided, and the suspect was already in custody when the lockdown went into effect.
“Corona PD quickly responded and arrested the individual in question,” according to a Corona-Norco Unified School District statement. “All students and staff… are safe.”
As of 4 p.m., the teen was being held at the Corona Police Department, where detectives were interviewing him, Fountain said.