A student at Marcos de Niza High School in Tempe was taken into custody on Tuesday after a tense situation unfolded involving a weapon on campus. The incident was initiated by a social media video that surfaced on Monday, depicting what appeared to be a student with a gun in the school’s bathroom, according to FOX 10 Phoenix.
Tempe Police quickly became involved, contacting the school administration to identify and locate the individual. Despite initial denials by a student identified from the video, concern grew after a "concerned adult" brought forward a second video on Tuesday – with officials unclear if it was the original or a new instance. The 15-year-old suspect, once confronted by authorities as they arrived at school, fled the premises prompting a lockdown of Marcos de Niza and two other elementary schools nearby, as detailed by 12 News.
Tempe's Police Department swiftly acted to secure the area, setting a perimeter that led to the student's arrest in a local backyard. Alongside the student, authorities located a black handgun resembling the one, shown in the social media video.
The lockdown was lifted and schools resumed normal operations by 9 a.m., after the incident caused a temporary yet palpable disruption. "This student was quickly identified and arrested, thanks to the community members from Marcos de Niza who immediately notified the school about the existence of the video," Tempe Police said, underlining the importance of community vigilance in such scenarios.
