PEMBROKE PINES, Fla. — Police say a 12-year-old South Florida middle school student faces a charge of bringing weapons onto school property after being found with a slingshot, two rocks and four knives in his backpack.
The student at Walter C. Young Middle School in Pembroke Pines was arrested Thursday.
Police said the school resource officer found the items in the boy's backpack after rumors were circling around campus. The boy did not make any threats or brandish the weapons.
The student was taken to a juvenile assessment center, The Associated Press explains.
His arrest follows a recent rise in threats at South Florida schools, including at Marjory Stoneman Douglas, the site of a mass shooting in 2018.
“Parents, please take this moment to speak with your children about the severe consequences of bringing weapons of any kind onto school property,” Pembroke Pines police said in a news release, AP reports. “These are serious charges and may result in an arrest, regardless of the age of the suspect.”
