Hillsborough Co., Florida -- A 9-year-old boy was arrested after Hillsborough County Sheriff's deputies said he carried a small gun onto his school bus Wednesday morning on his way to Ippolito Elementary School in Riverview.
The bus driver spotted the boy hiding the loaded .22 caliber derringer in his front pants pocket.
The bus driver, Debra Dryden, said he was sitting with another student in the front seat of the bus. She heard them talking about something sharp.
"Then later I heard the other student say, 'Well, I will never mess with you again.' Then that really piqued my interest," said Dryden. "It was like okay, well, we are going to watch these two."
That is when she caught a glimpse of the gun and radioed in an emergency. She talked with the school's principal, who contacted the sheriff's office.
"At first I thought the gun was a toy, but I did not risk it and followed protocol, which is to protect the children first."
Deputies were at the school when the bus pulled up.They waited for the students to get off the bus before questioning the boy.
The bus driver said the boy denied he had the gun until it was taken out of his pocket.
The boy's parents later told deputies the boy took it from their home without telling them.
He has been charged with possession of a firearm on school property. He will not be allowed to return to Ippolito Elementary School.
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