15-year-old girl found with loaded gun after shoplifting at Walmart in Frederick, sheriff's office says

A 15-year-old girl was found with a loaded handgun inside her backpack after a shoplifting incident at a Walmart in Frederick County, the sheriff's office says. 

The Frederick County Sheriff's Office said it responded to the shoplifting incident involving multiple juvenile suspects on Sunday at the Walmart on Guilford Drive in Frederick. 

The deputies who arrived at the store found two teens -- a 15-year-old girl and 16-year-old boy -- along with two younger children, believed to be about seven years old, who had been accused of putting merchandise into their backpacks. 

All four of them were taken into the store's loss prevention office, where the deputies recovered the stolen merchandise. 

During the investigation, the sheriff's office said the 15-year-old girl was clutching her bag tightly and started to reach inside. 

Deputies removed the backpack for safety and discovered a loaded Polymer 80 handgun with one round in the chamber and 15 additional rounds in the magazine, the sheriff's office said. 

The sheriff's office has submitted theft and firearm-related charges to the Department of Juvenile Services. CBS News Baltimore reached out to learn the exact charges the girl is facing. 

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call the Frederick County Sheriff's Office at 301‑600‑1046 or submit a tip at 301‑600‑4131.