A Plant City High School senior ended his school day in handcuffs Tuesday after deputies and staff discovered a loaded handgun in his backpack, according to authorities. The incident unfolded April 21 at about 2:00 p.m., and the student was identified as 18-year-old Isai Luciano Jijon Blas. He faces charges of possession of a weapon on school property and carrying a concealed firearm while the case remains under investigation.
How deputies say they found the gun
According to a press release from the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, an HCSO school resource deputy received a tip that a student might have a weapon on campus. The deputy and school administrators then searched the 12th-grader's backpack and, the release states, found a loaded handgun inside. Blas was arrested on campus and booked on the charges of possession of a weapon on school property and carrying a concealed firearm.
“Bringing a firearm onto a school campus is reckless, dangerous, and completely unacceptable,” the sheriff's office wrote in a post on X. The agency added that deputies had arrested multiple students in recent days for similar offenses and said the investigation into this case is ongoing.
What state law says
Under Florida law, having a firearm on school property is prohibited and can be charged as a felony under Florida Statutes §790.115. In general, the statute classifies possession of a firearm on school grounds as a third-degree felony, which can carry a sentence of up to five years in prison.
A pattern of incidents this month
This arrest is one of several gun-related incidents the sheriff's office has reported at Plant City High in recent days. An April 18 HCSO release states that four Plant City High students were arrested after two firearms were recovered following an April 17 altercation on or near campus. That earlier release noted that the situation was contained before anyone was hurt and reiterated the agency's zero-tolerance stance on weapons at school.
The sheriff's office says the investigation into Blas's case remains active and that any updates will be shared by its Public Affairs Office. The release also asks anyone with information to contact HCSO or Crime Stoppers.
