Attorney: Boynton student fired gun to scare away dog

The Boynton Beach High School student arrested on charges of firing a weapon and bringing it to school Friday used it to scare off a dog at the bus stop, his defense attorney told Judge Catherine Brunson on Saturday morning.

Wanye Evan Brown, 18, of Boynton Beach was arrested by city police on numerous weapons-related charges, as well as charges of disturbing the peace, having a weapon on school property and burglary stemming from a March incident. He was booked Friday evening into the Palm Beach County Jail, records show.

Palm Beach County School District Police arrested another student in connection to the gun incident that locked down the campus on Park Ridge Boulevard, south of Gateway Boulevard, for hours. That student has not publicly been identified.

The judge ordered that Brown remain in the jail in lieu of an $8,000 bond, though the state attorney’s office argued he shouldn’t be given a bond at all, calling him a “danger to society.”

“I understand the state’s concern, especially in today’s climate,” Brunson said, before agreeing to the defense’s request for a lower bond.

Brown has been arrested multiple times over the past year on burglary, car theft and loitering charges. According to the state attorney’s office, he was convicted of one felony and four misdemeanor offenses as a juvenile.

It’s still unclear where in the county Brown allegedly fired the gun. His public defender told Brunson the teen was running late for school, which is why he brought the gun with him.

An assistant state attorney said Brown had the gun on the bus and handed the gun to another student. It was not clear whether Brown is accused of handing another student the gun on the bus or at the school.

Another student alerted school authorities to the gunfire at the bus stop, which prompted the lockdown.