9-Year-Old Boy Arrested, Accused Of Carrying Gun At Yonkers School
YONKERS, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- A 9-year-old boy was arrested Tuesday after he was allegedly caught with an unloaded handgun at a school in Yonkers.
As CBS2's Tracee Carrasco reported, police said the boy was released back to a parent Tuesday evening, but he is in serious trouble.
Video showed the unidentified child being put into an unmarked Yonkers police car. Officers brought out the child's backpack and swarmed School 13, at 195 McLean Ave. in Yonkers, after being called at 3:26 p.m. on a report of a possible recovered weapon.
An alert child spotted the handgun in the boy's backpack and notified a teacher, WCBS 880's Sean Adams reported.
Police said the boy will be charged with fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon, and criminal possession of a weapon on school grounds.
Yonkers Superintendent of Schools Dr. Edwin M. Quezada suspects there was no malicious intent.
"I have not had the opportunity to speak with the child, the police have spoken to him," Quezada said. "Let us treat it as a mistake and let us provide the necessary support for the young person, that's our responsibility as adults, that's our responsibility as educators."
While police continue to investigate, the incident makes parents such as Vireisa Mata nervous.
"You send your kids to go learn and then you don't know what other kids bring," Mata said. "That's very concerning to me."
Mata's daughter is the same age as the young suspect and attends another Yonkers school, and she wants to know how something like the incident could happen.
"It's scary, it really is," Mata said. "You don't know if your kids are safe basically anywhere right now."
The boy was given an appearance ticket to Yonkers Family Court for a later date, police said.
He has been suspended from school.