Cops: 3 Broward students had guns

HOLLYWOOD — Arrests were made and guns were seized at three Broward Schools this week in apparently unrelated incidents.

In the most recent case, a 15-year-old boy was arrested for bringing a Smith and Wesson Bodyguard .380 handgun to South Broward High School at 1901 N. Federal Hwy., Hollywood police said Thursday.

It happened Wednesday morning when a counselor called police after being told about the gun by another student.

The teen was taken out of class about 9:30 a.m. and the gun was found inside a blue pencil case in his backpack. It was loaded with six bullets, police said.

He brought his father’s gun to school to allegedly recover another gun that one of his friends stole from his home, according to WSVN-Ch.7.

During a court appearance, the teen’s attorney said the gun was taken to school to scare the alleged thief and not to harm any students, the station reported.

In the other incidents a 15-year-old is accused of bringing a pellet gun to Piper High School in Sunrise on Wednesday and a 17-year-old is charged with taking a handgun to Hallandale High School on Tuesday.

“Everyone’s become more vigilant,” said Sunrise Police Officer Luis Fernandez, a spokesman for the department. “It’s important that kids, especially nowadays, remain vigilant about anything happening in schools so that we can get the upper hand and don’t wait around for things to develop before they call.”

The South Florida Sun Sentinel is withholding the names of any of the students named by police because of their ages.