Student Armed With Handgun Arrested At LA County High School: Police

BELL GARDENS, CA — A student was arrested for possessing a handgun at Bell Gardens High School Wednesday morning, prompting a campus lockdown and a large police response, authorities confirmed.

The Bell Gardens Police Department received a report of a student with a handgun at the school at 6119 Agra St. just before 9:30 a.m., according to a statement released by police Wednesday afternoon.

Officers arrived within minutes and arrested the student, who was found in possession of a handgun, police said.

Authorities confirmed there was no active shooter, no shots were fired and no students or staff members were injured.

"This is an isolated incident, and there are no further known threats to the school or our community," the department said in a statement.

A handgun was recovered during the arrest, police said.

Video from the scene showed a person in plain clothes standing over a student lying face down in a school courtyard before officers arrived and handcuffed the student, according to ABC 7.

SWAT officers also responded to the campus and assisted in searching the school, the station reported.

KTLA reported that officers were seen moving from classroom to classroom, evacuating students and staff from portable buildings and directing them toward the main campus.

A school employee told KTLA that three students had been detained, though police have confirmed only one arrest.

The lockdown was lifted after officers cleared the campus, and students began being released around noon.

Broadcast footage showed a large crowd of parents and other community members gathered outside the school during the investigation.

Bell Gardens police said they are continuing to investigate the incident and are coordinating with Montebello Unified School District Police Services to ensure campus safety.

Anyone with information about the incident was urged to contact Detective Sgt. E. Roberts of the Bell Gardens Police Department's General Investigations Unit at 562-806-7694 or eroberts@bgpd.org.

Anonymous tips can also be submitted to Crime Stoppers online or at 800-222-8477.