A teen remains in detention for 10 days, accused of bringing a gun to Highlands High School.
SAN ANTONIO — A 16-year-old accused of bringing a gun to Highlands High School will remain in juvenile detention for at least the next ten days.
The teen made an appearance in the 289th District Court Thursday morning, answering to a charge of unlawfully carrying a weapon.
The principal of the school shared a letter with parents, saying the school district’s anonymous tip line received information that a student might be in possession of a weapon.
While administrators placed a brief lockdown in place, they said they took immediate action and took possession of the item.
Video posted on a social media site shows police officers approaching a suspect on Villareal Street just outside the campus, and bringing the person to the ground to be placed in custody.
A woman named Stella said she happened to be in the area and saw the incident happen.
“I saw a boy running, a kid running and he looked like he was trying to leave, trying to get somewhere quick,” Stella said.”They stopped him. They threw him on the ground. It looked like something happened because they threw him on the ground almost immediately and then they cuffed him and the paddy wagon came.”
Stella said she thought she was seeing the aftermath of a fight but when she learned a weapon was involved, she said “I mean it’s a high school. Things happen sometimes with kids, but a gun?”
Stella said the teen surrendered easily.
“He didn’t fight them or resist them or anything. He just went.”
School officials confirm there were no shots fired at any time and weapon they recovered wasn’t loaded.
Stella said that offers little comfort.
“The fact that anybody brought it to the campus anyway and that it was able to get to the campus is what’s scary.”
Meanwhile, the principal’s letter said they are grateful that someone reached out.
“Safety is everyone’s responsibility, and their due diligence allowed us to respond quickly and without incident.”
The teenager will face consequences for the incident, including at the school and in court. He will have another appearance in juvenile court in ten working days.
More information about the district’s safety resources can be found on their webpage.
For the direct link to their anonymous reporting feature, click here.