Loaded Gun, Ski Mask Found On Bus, Deputies Say

BRANDON, FL — An 18-year-old Brandon Alternative School student faces criminal charges after Hillsborough County Sheriff’s deputies caught him in possession of a loaded gun on Wednesday morning.

According to the sheriff’s office, Jamarcus Kareem Simms, 18, was brought to their attention after a 911 call came in at 8:35 a.m. The caller, a relative of a student on the bus, told dispatchers the student had sent a text saying a person on the bus was loading a gun on his lap.

When the call was placed, the bus was at Harney Road and U.S. 301, the sheriff’s office said in an email.

“The witness continued to text updates to our caller, providing a clothing description of the student, as well as the location he attempted to hide the gun (4 seats behind the driver),” an email from the sheriff’s office said.

Deputies intercepted the bus at Highway 92, just east of Highway 579, and evacuated seven students. Once on the bus, they found a 9mm pistol, a loaded 12-round magazine and a black ski mask, the email said. The gun had been reported stolen from Temple Terrace.

Simms was arrested with charges still pending.

No further details are available at this time.

Image via Shutterstock

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