PLANT CITY, Fla. – A 14-year-old student found himself in handcuffs Thursday after deputies say he violated a suspension order and returned to Tomlin Middle School armed with a weapon.
According to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, STAR units rushed to the campus on November 20 following reports of an armed student on the premises.
Investigators determined that the student, identified as Luis Prada, had been suspended the previous day. On November 19, school officials explicitly notified Prada that he was suspended and barred from entering school property on November 20.
Despite the ban, deputies say Prada returned to the campus Thursday morning. While on the grounds, he allegedly displayed what a witness believed to be a firearm.
When detectives contacted the teen, he reportedly admitted to the infraction. Prada confessed to bringing a pepper ball gun to the school and showing it to the witness. Authorities later accompanied Prada to his residence, where they seized the pepper ball handgun.
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Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister issued a warning regarding weapons on campus, noting that even look-alike devices will result in serious legal consequences.
“There is no excuse for this kind of behavior. If you bring a weapon or anything that looks like a weapon near a school, expect to be arrested and prosecuted,” Sheriff Chronister said. “Behavior like this creates fear, disrupts learning, and has the potential to end in tragedy. I am grateful for the swift response of our STAR deputies and the witness who spoke up so we could act quickly to keep students and staff safe.”
Prada was arrested and faces charges of Trespassing upon School Grounds After Notice and Armed Trespass of a Structure or Conveyance.
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