Student Detained After Replica Gun Found Following Lockdown at Coral Springs School

A student is facing a misdemeanor charge after police say he brought a toy gun to a Coral Springs high school Thursday morning, forcing the school to be placed on lockdown.

Thursday morning after police said they received a call about a possible gun on the campus.

Coral Springs police said a student reported seeing the 9th grader with a "shiny metal handgun" at J.P. Taravella High School on Riverside Drive. The call caused a "code red" as multiple agencies responded to the school, which was placed on lockdown shortly after 8 a.m. 

Cell phone video showed students frantically running down the halls of the school.

"Everyone started running and they said 'code red,'" student Gabriella Dipaola said.

Shortly after 11:30 a.m., police tweeted that they had taken the subject into custody and recovered a replica gun.

"There's a person that has been detained and right now is being questioned about the incident because right now a replica of a handgun was located inside of the school," Det. Ernesto Bruna said.

Police later said the student would be charged with disrupting a school function.

Footage showed officers with weapons drawn searching multiple buildings on the campus. Officers went room-to-room searching for a possible weapon.

No students were injured and everyone on campus was safe, officials said.

Officers search each classroom after a call came in about a possible gun on the campus of J.P. Taravella High School.

The school was later placed under a "code yellow" and students were being released to their parents or taken to Coral Springs Gymnasium, located at 2501 Coral Springs Drive.

Parents said they were rattled by the incident.

"He told me he was backed up against a wall in the dark and they didn't know what was going on and the police came and searched him and searched all the kids," mother Elizabeth Conversano said, speaking about her son. 

"Obviously scary, nervousness, but at the same time grateful at least that the cops are here. they're in the school," said Warren Hill, whose daughter attends the school.

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