MISSION VIEJO : Boy With Handgun Suspended for 5 Days
A sixth-grade boy received a five-day suspension from the Capistrano Unified School District for showing off a loaded handgun Monday afternoon at an elementary school.
District officials said the youth left a group of friends he was playing with at Viejo Elementary School, 26782 Via Grande, and returned with a .25-caliber semiautomatic pistol.
Sheriff’s deputies said the child told them he was just trying to impress his friends. After showing off the weapon, the boy tossed it in some bushes.
A deputy went to the boy’s home after he was tipped off by the parents of the boy’s playmate. The child led them to a wilderness area next to the school where the gun was found.
Lt. Randy Blair said deputies are attempting to determine whether the boy’s parents negligently left the firearm where their son could find it.
“We certainly want to know how the kid got ahold of the gun,” he said.
School officials will also interview students and parents in efforts to determine whether a lengthier suspension or expulsion should be imposed on the boy.
“There’s no good reason for a kid to bring a gun to campus,” said Rich Johnson, district coordinator for pupil services.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
