Student Arrested After Traffic Stop In Fridley H.S. Parking Lot Turns Up Large Knives, Fake Grenade
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A teenage student was arrested Friday outside Fridley High School after being found driving in the parking lot with two large knives and a fake grenade in his car.
Officials in the suburb north of Minneapolis say that around 3 p.m. a school resource officer was alerted that a 17-year-old Fridley High School Online Academy student was driving in the parking lot during the high school's dismissal.
Staff at the school were aware of this student due to recent suspicious activity, including circling the school parking lot and suspicious comments posted on social media. The student does not have to attend classes at the building, as he is part of a full-time online program.
The resource officer stopped the student and detained him. The boy consented to a search of his car, officials say, and the officer found two large knives and a mock grenade inside the vehicle.
The boy was arrested for possessing dangerous weapons on school property and booked into the regional juvenile center.
The arrest comes as the nation grapples with gun violence at schools following a shooting in Texas on Tuesday where a teenage gunman killed 19 elementary school children and two teachers.
The heightened awareness prompted one Twin Cities high school to close Friday after an image circulated on social media showing a student holding a gun with the caption "We're on our way."