A Harding High School student stole a gun out of a car parked near his Dayton’s Bluff home in St. Paul last week and then brought the gun to school the next day, according to a juvenile petition filed in Ramsey County District Court.
Antwan Calvin Watson, 16, is charged with three felonies for gun possession by a minor, having a dangerous weapon on school property and receiving stolen property.
The school called St. Paul police at 1:40 p.m. Wednesday to report an “agitated” student with a handgun, police said in a probable cause statement.
A staff member reportedly escorted Watson to the assistant principal’s office after seeing what looked like the outline of a gun in his front sweatshirt pocket. Inside the office, Watson denied having a gun and became agitated, police said.
“Staff attempted to detain (Watson) and prevent him from reaching into his sweatshirt. (Watson) actively fought with staff and attempted to flee from the office and prevent the staff from placing him into handcuffs. … At one point during the struggle, (Watson) was able to place his hand into his pocket and told staff that his finger was on the trigger,” the statement reads.
School staff eventually managed to get Watson in handcuffs and seated in the office while they waited for police. The school went into lockdown.
Police ran the gun’s serial number and found it was reported stolen Tuesday from a car parked at Sacred Heart Church, which is near Watson’s house. Church surveillance video of the break-in showed a person who looked like Watson and was wearing the same sweatshirt that he wore the next day.
The incident was the third time this year that a student was found with a gun inside Harding.
