Lockdown Lifted At Bowie High School, Teen Suspect Arrested: Police

BOWIE, MD — Bowie High School was placed on lockdown Wednesday afternoon and parents and others picking up students initially were warned to stay away from the school after Bowie Police received a report of a teenage boy with a gun near the library and the school.

The Bowie Police Department was contacted around 12:47 p.m. about a suspect armed with a long gun at the Bowie Library located at 15210 Annapolis Road. When officers arrived on the scene, they were told the suspect had taken off in a dark-colored vehicle, according to the Bowie Police Department.

After reviewing surveillance video, officers confirmed a male wearing a white shirt and black pants had been there, armed with some type of a long gun. Shortly after, police received a second report from Bowie High School, which shares the parking lot with the library, that the suspect possibly had entered the school and was hiding there, the police department disclosed.

Bowie High School and the Bowie Annex were placed on lockdown, and officers entered the school to search for the suspect. The suspect, a teenage boy, was found a short distance away from the school shortly after 3 p.m. He wasn't armed at the time of his arrest, according to the police department, but the weapon was later found and determined to be an airsoft pistol.

The lockdown was lifted and buses arrived to transport bus-riding students home.

Bowie Police investigators are working with the Prince George’s County State’s Attorney’s Office and charges will be filed, the police department noted.

"We are fortunate that this incident was resolved peacefully without injury or tragedy. We also extend our gratitude to the Prince George’s County Police, Prince George’s County Special Operations Division, Maryland State Police, Prince George’s County Office of the Sheriff, ATF Hyattsville 2 Field Office, Greenbelt Police, Upper Marlboro Police and all the other allied police agencies that assisted," Bowie Deputy Chief Dwayne A. Preston said in a statement.