Kennewick High student arrested after bringing realistic looking pellet gun to school

A 15-year-old student was arrested after bringing a pellet gun into Kennewick High School.

A classmate spotted the student with the pellet gun, which was designed to look like a .357 caliber revolver, on Wednesday morning. The gun is powered by a carbon dioxide cartridge, Kennewick Commander Isaac Merkl told the Tri-City Herald.

The teen never threatened anyone with the weapon, and told officers he was planning on giving it to another student.

After getting the report officers removed the student from class and found the pellet gun.

The teen was booked into the Benton-Franklin Juvenile Detention Center on suspicion of possessing a dangerous weapon on school grounds, a misdemeanor.

Police said that there is no tolerance for having weapons on school grounds.

“Please continue to have discussions with your children about the expectations around school safety,” police said. “We would encourage parents to have the tough conversation about the real consequences that can occur when this is ignored and the importance of having courage to report incidents to staff or police.”

This is the second time this year that a student has been arrested for bringing a weapon onto school grounds. An 18-year-old was arrested in early January after allegedly bringing a revolver onto campus.

While she was arrested and booked into jail, prosecutors didn’t file charges against the teen.