Tennessee High School Student Arrested After Gun Found In Her Purse

A Tennessee high school student was arrested Wednesday after a loaded gun was found inside her purse.

School resource officers assigned to Lakeland High School found the gun concealed inside the unidentified student's handbag during a random student search at the bus loop on the school property, WFLA reported.

The officials, with assistance from the school staff, safely seized the gun and arrested the teen. Police only realized the gun was loaded when they closely inspected the firearm. The teenager is facing charges of possession of a firearm on school property and illegally carrying concealed weapon charges.

Police said it appeared other students weren't aware of the handgun and no threats were made. The female student who was in possession of the gun was sent to the Juvenile Assessment Center following her arrest. Police are investigating the matter, reported The Free Press.

"This message is being sent on behalf of Lakeland High School. All students and staff are safe. This morning we conducted a random search at school, and found a student in possession of a firearm. No one was threatened with the weapon; the student has been taken into custody and is facing serious legal consequences. As always, we thank our law enforcement partners for helping us conduct these searches and keeping our campus safe," the Polk County Public Schools wrote in a mail sent to parents, according to Daily Ridge.

In June 2022, a Maryland middle school plunged into a brief lockdown after a 13-year-old student was found to be in possession of a loaded gun during school hours. Deputies responded to Isaac J. Gourdine Middle School to find the teenager with a "non-serialized ghost gun" tucked in his waistband. The teen was taken into custody and was charged with possession of a loaded handgun, a dangerous weapon on school property, and other additional charges.

Preliminary investigation showed the student showed the gun to his friend who alerted the school staff. The lockdown lasted for about 90 minutes.