PEMBROKE PINES, Fla. — A 12-year-old South Florida boy is accused of bringing four knives, a slingshot and two rocks to school hidden in his backpack, authorities said.
No threats were made against Walter C. Young Middle School in Pembroke Pines, the Sun-Sentinel reported.
The student was taken to Broward County’s juvenile assessment center and faces felony charges of possession of weapons on school property, WPLG-TV reported.
According to Pembroke Pines Police Department spokesperson Amanda Conwell, police found the weapons after witnesses told the school’s resource officer that they overheard the student say he had a slingshot.
A 12-year-old student is in custody after the School Resource Officer at Walter C. Young Middle School located four knives & a slingshot concealed in their backpack.
— Pembroke Pines PD (@PPinesPD) December 9, 2021
PARENTS, please speak to your children about the seriousness of this crime.
More info ➡️ https://t.co/mdy9NyGFzN pic.twitter.com/fIIDkRvA9y
“You don’t know what would have happened if they didn’t find them,” an unidentified student told WSVN-TV. “Seemed like a normal,regular kid, with friends. Like you would have never thought that he would bring four knives to school.”
“There were no school threats associated with this incident, and at no point were the weapons brandished by the suspect,” Conwell stated in a news release. “Parents, please take this moment to speak with your children about the severe consequences of bringing weapons of any kind onto school property. These are serious charges and may result in an arrest, regardless of the age of the suspect.”
A 12-year-old boy has been charged with bringing a slingshot and knives to Walter C. Young Middle School in Pembroke Pines. https://t.co/0DPOr8ivHR
— WSVN 7 News (@wsvn) December 10, 2021
The incident comes a week after a 17-year-old student at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School was arrested on a count of writing threats to conduct a mass shooting, the Sun-Sentinel reported.
The school in Parkland was the site of a mass shooting on Feb. 14, 2018, that left 17 students, faculty, and staff members dead, and another 17 injured.
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