Arlington

Student who brought toy gun to Arlington school arrested; lockdown lifted, police say

A blue and white Arlington police car sits in a parking lot.
An Arlington student was arrested after sending a threatening text message and bringing a toy gun to school to intimidate another person, police said.

A school in Arlington was on a temporary lockdown on Thursday, Jan. 16 after a student came to school with a toy BB gun in their backpack.

At around 8 a.m. officers responded to Pearcy STEM Academy after the school administration reported that a student may have brought a weapon to school, police said.

The school was temporarily placed on lockdown as a precaution.

Officers found the student who had a plastic toy gun in their backpack. Further investigation revealed that the student sent a threatening text message prior to arriving at school and brought the toy gun to school to intimidate another person, police said.

The student was arrested on suspicion of making a terroristic threat and transported to the Tarrant County Juvenile Detention Center.

The lockdown has since been lifted, and there were no reports of any injuries, police said.

“All students and staff are safe and the school day will continue,” Pearcy STEM Academy said in a Facebook post.

Shambhavi Rimal
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Shambhavi covers crime, law enforcement and other breaking news in Fort Worth and Tarrant County. She graduated from the University of North Texas and previously covered a variety of general assignment topics in West Texas. She grew up in Nepal.
Get unlimited digital access
#ReadLocal

Try 1 month for $1

CLAIM OFFER