Redondo Beach high school closed after 2nd student brings loaded firearm onto campus

A 10th-grader was arrested Tuesday after bringing a loaded firearm onto the campus of a Redondo Beach high school, officials say.

The same thing happened Monday.

Classes at Redondo Union High School will be canceled Wednesday after the second incident in as many days in which a student brought a loaded weapon to school, officials said. Tuesday’s incident included a false report of a school shooting.

In both cases, officers with the Redondo Beach Police Department said they had apprehended a 15-year-old sophomore who was carrying a loaded firearm and a high-capacity magazine on campus — although in each case, police said, there was “no evidence of a specific threat or plan for violence.”

Tuesday’s incident was reported to police at 9:23 a.m. as a student with a weapon.

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Officers were already on campus as security had been beefed up after Monday’s arrest, and said they found the student with the firearm within minutes. The student tried running away from police, according to the department, prompting a school lockdown that lasted less than 40 minutes.

The student was apprehended by a school employee and two police officers. No injuries were reported during the incident, and police said that earlier reports of shots fired or a school shooting were false.

Monday’s arrest occurred around 10:30 a.m. at the school located at 1 Sea Hawk Way. The campus, which had over 3,100 students enrolled as of 2021, is the only high school in the district.

Administrators had contacted police on Monday, saying students reported a teen with a gun on campus. Police responded and arrested the male student, who was not identified because he is a minor.

In both cases, the suspects were arrested on suspicion of multiple firearm violations, including being a juvenile with a firearm, possessing a firearm on school grounds, having a high-capacity magazine, carrying a loaded firearm in public and possessing an unregistered loaded firearm.

Police gave no details about the type of firearm carried by each student, nor did they say how the students acquired their firearms, citing the ongoing investigation. Investigators have neither confirmed nor denied whether the two incidents are related.

Parents expressed fear and exhaustion over the events of the last 48 hours.

“My body right now is just retaining all the stress from the last two days,” said Aggie Kurzyna, whose daughter attends Redondo Union High School.

Kurzyna told The Times she had to take a day off work Tuesday after her daughter texted that the school was in lockdown. She said her mind was racing about the tragic possibilities, including a possible school shooting.

“We live in the United States, where this is a common occurrence,” Kurzyna said. “Today ... it really hit home.”

Officials with the Redondo Beach Unified School District will host an online meeting at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday to discuss the incidents and safety protocols for Redondo Union High School.

“The two back-to-back incidents are something we would have never imagined,” district officials said in a statement. “We are going to need to work together to solve the issue of access to guns.”

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The campus closure on Wednesday will allow Redondo Beach police to sweep the campus for weapons and explosives, school officials said.

When school resumes on Thursday, only three entry points will be open on the campus, and each will be monitored by police officers and school administrators. Police will also perform additional patrols at the high school and all other campuses within the school district.