For the second time in two days, a 15-year-old 10th-grade student was arrested Tuesday for allegedly carrying a loaded weapon onto the campus of Redondo Union High School, which will be closed on Wednesday as a result of the twin arrests.
According to the Redondo Beach Police Department and Redondo Beach Unified School District, officers responded to a report of a student in possession of a weapon at the high school around 9:25 a.m. Tuesday. Police said the student fled on foot from school staff, prompting a campus lockdown. The student was later detained by staff and two RBPD officers who were already on campus in response to a similar incident on Monday.
It was unclear how the teen obtained the weapon or what type of firearm the student was carrying.
Police said there were initial reports Tuesday that a shooting had occurred at the campus, however, no firearms were discharged and no injuries were reported.
“No one has been injured and a search of the campus has been completed. The lockdown was lifted by school officials at 10:03 a.m.,” police said.
The student was not identified due to the student’s age.
On Monday, another 15-year-old 10th-grader at the school was arrested after officers went to the school at 1 Sea Hawk Way around 10:31 a.m. regarding “a report of a student in possession of a firearm,” according to the RBPD.
“In coordination with school officials, (the) investigation resulted in the immediate detention of a 15-year-old, 10th-grade student and the recovery of a loaded firearm in their possession,” police said in a statement.
No injuries were reported during Monday’s incident.
Despite the back-to-back arrests on consecutive days, police said they have not found any evidence of a “specific threat or plan for violence” at the school.
“The investigation concerning any indication that this incident may be related to the arrest the previous day, the source of the firearm, and other matters related to this incident are part of an ongoing investigation by the Redondo Beach Police Department,” according to a joint statement from police and the school district.
In response to the dual arrests, however, Redondo Union High School will be closed on Wednesday, with classes resuming Thursday.
In a letter to parents, district officials said the closure “is to provide optimal conditions for our district team and RBPD to work together to conduct a comprehensive review of our safety measures and implement strategies to amplify this important work.”
During the closure, police plan to conduct an extensive sweep of the school. When classes resume Thursday, there will be only three entry and exit points, all of which will be overseen by police and administrators. Increased police patrols will be maintained at RUHS and all other Redondo campuses.
An online meeting for the school community will be held at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday. Details of that meeting will be sent to parents later in the day.
“The two back-to-back incidents are something we would never have imagined,” district officials wrote in the message to parents. “We are going to need to work together to solve the issue of access to guns. Understandably, our school community will demand and expect RBUSD to ensure student safety each and every day. Pointing fingers and placing blame is not the solution. Having a dialogue about how we effectively monitor social media, continue to report concerns in a timely manner, and intervene when students appear to be in distress is something we all must do — all of us, parents, staff, and students. We will continue this conversation and I hope it can be a productive one, as this is a community issue.”
Police had stepped up their presence at the school and other Redondo Beach campuses on Monday in response to the first arrest.
Both students were detained on suspicion of juvenile in possession of a firearm, possession of a firearm on school grounds, possession of a high-capacity magazine, carrying a loaded firearm in public, and possession of an unregistered loaded firearm.
Anyone with information on the case was urged to contact the Redondo Beach Police Department at 310-379-2477, via text at 310-339-2362, or anonymously at crimetips@redondo.org.