Police: Student brought gun, ammo to high school

PORT ST. LUCIE — A Port St. Lucie High School student is in custody after he allegedly made threats against the school and brought a weapon and 70 rounds of ammunition to campus.

Besides weapons offenses, the 17-year-old male also faces grand theft charges because the gun had been stolen, authorities said Friday.

State law gives authorities 21 days to decide whether to charge the teen, a junior at the school, as an adult. The Post does not identify juveniles charged with crimes unless the state tries them in adult court.

It is the latest incident involving guns in public schools in Florida this academic year. The Feb. 14 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland killed 17 students and staff members. In Palm Beach County, students have been caught with guns at least 10 times during this academic year, a Palm Beach Post investigation has found.

An anonymous tip led to the student’s arrest Thursday, a spokeswoman for St. Lucie Public Schools said. Police found him with a 9 mm Taurus handgun and two magazines, one with 12 rounds of ammunition in it and the other with a single

The 17-year-old had a handgun and 2 magazines.

round, as well as 57 loose rounds. He also had a Taser and 49 fake $100 bills, city police said.

The student told detectives “he knew about the firearm that was located but he didn’t know it was in his school backpack,” police said.

It is at least the second time this year that a St. Lucie County student has been accused of making threats against a school. In February, a 14-year-old boy was arrested after he allegedly made threats to “shoot up” Southport Middle in Port St. Lucie.

Police said they do not have reason to think the teen arrested Thursday “was working in concert” with other people or that he planned to commit further crimes at the school, north of Walton Road and west of U.S. 1. The teen will face expulsion, the school district said.