11 October 2023
Prosecutors have charged a 17-year-old with having a gun at a St. Paul high school last week.
Officers went to Como Park Senior High School at 10:05 a.m. Oct. 4 to arrest the student because police had issued a pick-up and hold for him in connection to a previous shooting.
School security personnel escorted the student outside of the building. Officers told him why they were there, that they were bringing him to police headquarters, and that he needed to remove his crossbody satchel and put it in a squad car’s trunk.
The teen “immediately put both hands on the bag and stated he was not consenting to a search,” according to a juvenile petition. “Immediately concerned that (the student) had a weapon,” an officer grabbed him and tried to remove the bag. He tried to kick officers and get away, the petition said.
“Multiple officers and security personnel were necessary to gain control of (the teen),” the petition said. They removed the satchel. Inside was a loaded handgun with a mounted light.
The teen told investigators he found the gun that day in a school bathroom. Asked why he didn’t tell a school administrator, he said they didn’t like him, the petition continued.
The Ramsey County attorney’s office charged him with possession of a gun by a person under age 18 and possession of a dangerous weapon on school property. He is being held in the juvenile detention center.
The original reason for the police pickup was connected to a shooting outside Washington Technology Magnet School in St. Paul in January, in which a bullet grazed a staff member. A 19-year-old was previously charged and police said this week they don’t anticipate presenting a case to prosecutors regarding the 17-year-old.
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