HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — Hillsborough County deputies arrested a middle school student on Nov. 20 after bringing a gun to class, authorities said.
Luis Prada, 14, was charged with trespassing upon school grounds after notice and armed trespass of a structure or conveyance.
On Nov. 20, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) responded to Tomlin Middle School to investigate a report of an armed student on campus.
Detectives learned that during the morning hours at school, Prada displayed what a witness believed to be a firearm.
They also discovered that Prada had been suspended for Nov. 20 and should not have been on campus, a HCSO report stated.
When detectives spoke with Prada, he admitted to bringing a pepper ball gun to the school and showing it to the witness, officials said.
According to shop.pepperball.com, when a pepper ball projectile impacts a surface, it bursts and creates a cloud of pepper irritant that rapidly disperses into the air to quickly incapacitate an attacker. Exposure to it will cause an immediate reaction in the eyes, nose, throat and chest.
When HCSO responded to Prada’s home, they found the handgun.
“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,” said Hillsborough Sheriff Chad Chronister. “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.”
This remains an active investigation, and any updates would be provided once they become available.
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