Photo: Stock Image
By Jim Emerson
BERKELEY— Two Berkeley High School students were arrested December 11 for
possession of firearms on campus. The arrests of the students are the third reported incidents
involving the high school to occur since October.
Police were alerted during lunch hour on December 11 that a student might have brought a
handgun to school. Officers responded to investigate, although the school was not placed
under lockdown. No firearms were reported brandished on campus, nor were any students or
staff reported threatened.
Officers searched the school and found two handguns, including one with an extended
magazine. The weapons were confiscated from the teenagers who allegedly brought these
firearms to school. Two male students, ages 17 and 18, were placed under arrest, without
further incident.
A prepared statement from the Berkeley Unified School District said. “The district finds this
serious safety issue deeply concerning and will cooperate with BPD in their investigation.”
One day earlier on December 10, Berkeley school staff received emails suggesting that
explosives may have been planted in the city’s schools. A statement from the school district
dismissed these emails as “spam hoaxes” but nevertheless alerted police, and advised school
principals to report any suspicious activity.
In another incident in October, a Berkeley High School student reported being pistol-whipped
while he walking to football practice. The victim was assaulted and robbed off-campus,
nearby in downtown Berkeley. His suspected attacker, a 15-year-old boy, was arrested for
assault with a deadly weapon, and possession of a concealed firearm on campus.
