Police arrested a 16-year-old student who they say was found with a handgun in a St. Paul high school on Wednesday.
Security personnel at Harding High School saw the gun sticking out of the teen’s waistband, and they as well as school staff “struggled with the male before gaining control and handcuffing him,” according to Steve Linders, a St. Paul police spokesman.
No injuries were reported and no threats were directed at anyone, Principal Be Vang wrote in a letter to Harding’s families on Wednesday.
“Our school followed our safety protocols, secured all entrances to the building and kept all students safely in their classrooms, where learning continued,” Vang wrote. “To ensure all students’ safety, we kept our enhanced security measures in place for the remainder of the day. … Students who bring weapons to school face serious consequences and discipline.”
Officers were called to the school at 1540 E. Sixth St. about 2 p.m. and recovered the gun, which was previously reported stolen from St. Paul, Linders said. The male was handcuffed in the school office and police arrested him.
Police are investigating.
The case was the third time this school year that a student was seen with a gun inside Harding. At the beginning of April, officers were called to the school about a reported robbery. They were told a student used a BB gun to rob another student inside a boys bathroom. In November, a student in a boys bathroom at Harding was “showing off” a handgun loaded with hollow-point bullets and later pleaded guilty in juvenile court.
