Petaluma Police Find Gun In Petaluma Student’s Backpack

PETALUMA, CA — Authorities locked down a Petaluma high school after a student carrying a weapon on campus was reported by fellow classmates.

The Petaluma Police Department received a report from school staff at about 11 a.m. that a student may have brought a firearm onto the Casa Grande High School campus.

Officers detained a female student carrying the firearm inside her backpack, according to Petaluma Police. The weapon was not loaded, and police reported no injuries.

Superintendent Davina Goldwasser said Casa Grande students reported the possible firearm at about 11:15 a.m.

Staff shut down the campus as a precaution.

Goldwasser said students remained safe. The school lifted the lock down at about 11:35 a.m.

Petaluma police said they worked with school staff before lifting the hold to ensure that no other immediate safety concerns remained on campus.

Officers arrested the teen and booked her into Juvenile Hall on suspicion of violating laws that prohibit minors from possessing firearms and prohibit firearms on school grounds, according to Petaluma Police.

Investigators are working to determine how the student got the firearm and whether anyone else was involved.

Police said they take any report involving a weapon on a school campus seriously.

Goldwasser thanked the students who reported the concern, school staff, and responding Petaluma police officers. She said students who need support should speak with a trusted adult on campus or contact available counseling and mental health staff.

The district could not provide additional details because of student privacy, and police withheld further information because the suspect is a juvenile and police are still investigating.