Reports of students seen with guns prompts brief lockdowns in Spanaway, Bonney Lake
School buildings in Spanaway and Bonney Lake have been briefly locked down this week after administrators received reports of students seen near campus with guns, according to authorities.
Students were not found with actual firearms in any of the incidents.
Spanaway Lake High School was locked down Monday morning about 8:10 a.m. after a parent saw a student with a gun approaching the school, according to Pierce County Sheriff’s Department. Spokesperson Sgt. Darren Moss said the school was put into a full lockdown at that time.
A 16-year-old student outside the school who was found in possession of two BB guns. Moss said the BB guns had clear tops and orange tips, but that the handles were black and green, so if someone only saw the handles, they could look like real firearms.
“They’re clearly airsoft guns from this picture, but again you can’t bring anything that looks like a gun. You shouldn’t be holding anything that looks like a gun,” Moss said.
The student was detained by a deputy but not booked into jail. Moss said the student was released to his parents for possession of dangerous weapons and carrying a weapon on school premises. He said the charges would be forward to the Pierce County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office for review.
In Bonney Lake on Tuesday morning, Mountain View Middle School and Bonney Lake High School were briefly locked down, according to a notice on the Sumner-Bonney Lake School District’s website. The notice said the schools were locked down “as a precaution due to a situation in the vicinity of the schools.”
The lockdown stemmed from a similar incident of a person seen with what appeared to be a gun. In a news release, Bonney Lake Police Department said it responded about 8:30 a.m. after a person passing by Mountain View Middle School reported seeing a male walking near the baseball field with what appeared to be a handgun in a holster.
Officers searched the middle school, high school and surrounding areas but did not find anyone matching the description of the report. According to the news release, the lockdown was lifted at about 9:45 a.m. Police said officers would remain in the area throughout the day.
This story was originally published June 7, 2022 at 12:51 PM.
