Student Brings Loaded Gun, Knife To High School

(Updated at 9:50 p.m. Thursday): CLARKSBURG, MD — A student was arrested for having a loaded handgun at a high school in Montgomery County Thursday, police said.

Police said Alwin Chen, 18, of Germantown brought a knife and a loaded, 9mm handgun to Clarksburg High School. He was arrested by a School Resource Officer (SRO) at about 2:10 p.m., police said.

The SRO working at Clarksburg High School received information that Chen might have brought a gun to school Thursday, Montgomery County police said. School security and the SRO pulled Chen out of class and brought him to the school office, where they asked Chen if he had a weapon on him.

Chen told the SRO that he had a handgun in his backpack and a knife in his front shirt pocket, police said. The SRO recovered the loaded gun and knife on Chen.

Police transported Chen to the Central Processing Unit and charged him with possession of a handgun, possession of a firearm by a person under 21 years old and possession of a firearm on school property.

FOX 5 reports Clarksburg High School principal Edward Owusu said in a letter home to parents: "This illegal and dangerous behavior will not be tolerated in our school community. Weapons of any type are not permitted on or near school property. Any student caught with a weapon will be referred to law enforcement and punished accordingly."

This investigation is ongoing. Detectives continue to work to gather information and collect evidence to include conducting a search of Chen’s residence and researching and confirming the ownership and purchasing history of the handgun, police said.

Chen’s motive for bringing a gun to school also remains under investigation.Anyone who has information about this incident is asked to call the Firearms Investigations Unit at 240.773.6400.

If parents have any questions, they can contact Owusu at 301-444-3000.

This is a breaking news story. Patch will update this post as more information becomes available.

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