Suspect In Wakefield High School Lockdown Arrested By Arlington Police

ARLINGTON, VA — An 18-year-old was charged in connection with an incident at Wakefield High School on Thursday that forced the school to be placed on lockdown, Arlington County Police said Friday.

Kenan Owens of Arlington was arrested early Friday morning and charged with trespassing at Wakefield High School and stalking, as well as several firearm charges. Owens is being held without bond in the Arlington County Detention Facility, police said.

Owens' arrest came after an unrelated incident in which the Arlington School Board was told Thursday night that a student at Wakefield High School had died from an apparent drug overdose. The student who died on Thursday was discovered unconscious in a Wakefield bathroom on Tuesday.

Classes were canceled at Wakefield High School on Friday to give students time to process the death of the student and the lockdown that occurred on Thursday.

READ ALSO: Lockdown Lifted At Wakefield High School, Trespasser Not Found: Police

In Thursday's incident, police were dispatched to Wakefield High School on S. Dinwiddie Street at about 12:30 p.m. for the report of a trespasser. Initial information received by Arlington County’s Emergency Communications Center indicated the trespasser was known to carry a firearm, police said. But no weapon was observed during the incident, according to police.

The school was placed on lockdown as police investigated the incident. Police ultimately determined the trespasser was not currently on school property, and students were dismissed on time.

Based on their preliminary investigation, the trespasser entered the school and attempted to find a juvenile victim with whom he had an ongoing dispute, according to police. Witnesses reported this information to school administration, who then contacted police. The suspect fled the school prior to police arriving and was later seen in the victim’s neighborhood, police said.

Arlington County Police detectives then identified the suspect as Owens and obtained warrants for his arrest, according to police.

Early Friday morning, Arlington County Police’s Emergency Response Team took Owens into custody at a residence in the 4200 block of 16th Street S., police said.

During the execution of the search warrant, three firearms were recovered, including one with a removed serial number, according to police.

Along with trespassing at a school and stalking, Owens was charged with removing/altering a serial number of a firearm and three counts of allowing access to a firearm by children. He is being held without bond in the Arlington County Detention Facility.

Arlington County Police said there are continuing to investigate the incident. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Arlington County Police Department’s Tip Line at 703-228-4180 or ACPDTipline@arlingtonva.us. Information may also be reported anonymously through the Arlington County Crime Solvers hotline at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477).

RELATED NEWS: Student Who Reportedly Overdosed At Arlington's Wakefield High Dies