National City police arrested two teenagers and found a handgun after officials locked down Sweetwater Union High School Monday afternoon.
A teacher, who did not want to be identified, said an email from the principal informed them that a man was seen with a gun. As a precaution, administrators decided to lock down the campus at about 3:45 p.m., which still had between 600 to 800 students there for after-school activities.
According to the teacher, a staff member was trying to prevent a fight between students, protecting one teen from another.
The student being protected told the staff member that the agressive teen "was carrying," the teacher told NBC 7. Once the lockdown was announced, the teen who allegedly had a weapon bolted from campus.
Police said a 16-year-old teen lifted up his shirt and showed off the butt of a handgun. A 17-year-old was also involved; both are former students of Sweetwater Union High.
Officers caught up with the teens down the street from the school and discovered a handgun in a vehicle tied to the suspects. Both were taken into custody.
The lockdown was lifted by 4:30 p.m. The high school is located in National City on Highland Avenue.
Local
One soccer player said he was on the field when the lockdown was ordered.
"They took us off the field and just told us that it was on lockdown because they put it on the speakers of the school," said the player. The team was ushered into a storage unit until the lockdown was lifted.
No further information was immediately available.
