VERO BEACH — A 16-year-old student was arrested after deputies got a tip that he pulled out an unloaded BB gun on a high school campus, authorities said.
The student brandished the weapon during his fifth period class at Vero Beach High School, 1707 16th Street, authorities said. He said the gun “might not be anything big, but will still put a hole in someone,” reports show.
This is the fifth reported gun-related incident at Vero Beach High School this year.
Deputies arrested the student Thursday on a charge of possession of a weapon on school property. It was unknown if the teen was being held at the Indian River County Jail or taken to a juvenile detention center.
Indian River County deputies were tipped off Thursday about a student with a black gun in a gym bag at the school. The tipster said the teenager also had the weapon on the school bus Thursday morning.
School officials and deputies went to the student’s class and escorted him out for questioning. Deputies found the firearm in a Nike bag the teen was carrying along with the BB gun, reports show.
The teen denied knowing the weapon was inside the bag, authorities said. Deputies arrested the teen.
The sheriff’s tip line can be reached at 772-978-6000 or schooltips@ircsheriff.org.
