A 17-year-old was expected to face a judge after attempting to bring a loaded gun into Uniondale High School on Wednesday morning.
Nassau County police and school district officials said metal detectors picked up on the weapon around 8:30 a.m. Wednesday. School security then detained the student and confiscated the weapon.
"Law enforcement was immediately notified and subsequently arrived on the scene and took the student into custody," Uniondale Superintendent of Schools Monique Darrisaw-Akil wrote in a statement. "The District is fully cooperating with the Nassau County Police Department on this matter."
Nassau County police said officers responded and placed the teen under arrest. Officials are not identifying the student due to his age.
Parents dropping their kids off today expressed concerns about the situation, but praised the district's security measures that likely prevented a massive tragedy.
"Thank God, they caught it," Uniondale High School parent Latoya Warren said. "It would've been a catastrophe. I'm five minutes away. I would have lost my mind had that gun gotten in there."
Police charged the teen with criminal possession of a firearm, criminal possession of a weapon on school grounds, third degree criminal possession of a weapon and second degree criminal possession of a weapon.
"Thankful that they did find that gun and nothing happened," Uniondale resident Shannon Frith said.
Officials have not said where the student got the weapon or what his motive was for bringing it into the building in the first place.
"Safety and security are paramount to our district," Darrisaw-Akil wrote. "This dedication is why we have measures such as metal detectors and a vigilant security team in place. Today's incident highlighted the importance of these measures. We commend our security team for its actions to keep our students and staff safe and secure."
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