A student was arrested after bringing an AR-15 style rifle, similar to this stock photo, to school in Arizona (Picture: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
A student in Arizona was arrested after bringing an AR-15 into his high school, along with additional ammunition concealed in a lunch box.
Police in Phoenix responded to the incident on Friday, May 19 at the city’s Bostrom High School after getting a tip that a weapon was found on the school grounds.
The Phoenix Police Department (PPD) said that officers ‘acted quickly’ to detain the student just before 1.00pm. They were only identified as a 15-year-old male student at Bostrom.
‘When they arrived, officers detained a male student in the school’s main office,’ PPD said. ‘The student was found to be in possession of a semi-automatic rifle. Additional ammunition was found in the student’s backpack and lunchbox.’
The incident occurred at Bostrom High School in Phoenix (Picture: Google)
It is unclear if a staff member or student first noticed the weapon and ammunition.
PPD said the incident was still under investigation. A possible motive and exactly what charges the minor is facing have not yet been released.
Phoenix Unified School District thanked police for their quick response to the frightening situation.
‘The safety and wellbeing of our staff, students, and visitors remain our top priority, and we will work with law enforcement as they continue to investigate,’ the district stated.
The United States has seen a major spike in mass shootings in 2023, including those taking place on school campuses.
In March, a shooter armed with a rifle and a handgun broke into a private Christian elementary school in Nashville, Tennessee and fired 152 rounds, killing three adults and three students.
The incident in Phoenix happened almost one year after a gunman entered Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas armed with an AR-15.
The shooter killed 19 students and two teachers at the elementary school, making it the third deadliest school shooting in US history.
Got a story? Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected]. Or you can submit your videos and pictures here.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
Follow Metro.co.uk on Twitter and Facebook for the latest news updates. You can now also get Metro.co.uk articles sent straight to your device. Sign up for our daily push alerts here.
The suspect was only identified as a 15-year-old male student at the school.
