Oak Hills High School principal, police discuss firearm on campus incident, quell rumors

Oak Hills High School Principal Michael Capps and Hesperia Unified School District Police Chief Steve Hinojos reached out to students and parents after a student with a loaded firearm was apprehended on campus on Tuesday.

In a letter, both Capps and Hinojos emphasized that there was only one suspect, no shots were ever fired, and no injuries were reported. Additionally, there is no evidence of any link between the firearm incident and the graffiti vandalism threats earlier this month, and there are no credible threats against the school at this time.

Capp started the letter by voicing his appreciation to school police and the Bulldog staff for following safety protocols, quickly apprehending the student and keeping everyone safe.

“I also appreciate you, our Bulldog families and our students,” Capps said. “You helped let our law enforcement and administrative teams handle the situation and I sincerely appreciate the overwhelming support and thanks we have received from you all on social media, the phone, and in person.”

‘If you see something…’

Capp detailed the incident that took place at around 11 a.m. Tuesday when a student noticed what they thought looked like a gun in another student’s waistband.

Following the Bulldog policy of “If you see something, say something” the student reported what they saw to a teacher.

The teacher and student then reported it to an Oak Hills administrator who immediately notified the police officer on site, Capps said.

Hinojos said the school officer spoke with the student witness and identified the situation as possible credible information. The student then identified the suspect, who was possibly in possession of the weapon.

Loaded handgun recovered

The officer, along with several Oak Hills administrators, spoke with the suspect in a classroom, the chief said.

“The officer made contact with the suspect and removed him from the classroom as per our protocol in this type of situation,” Hinojos said. “Once outside of the classroom, the suspect acted in a suspicious manner, attempting to remove something from his waistband and resisted being detained.”

Hinojos said the suspect ran from the school police officer through the campus. After a short foot pursuit, the suspect was arrested.

“A loaded handgun was recovered at the scene. There were never any shots fired and no one was injured,” the chief said.

More: Oak Hills High School student arrested after bringing loaded gun to campus

Code Red Lockdown

Capps said simultaneously, the Oak Hills front office staff called for a “Code Red Lockdown” to keep students and staff in class and safe.

“The officers questioned the suspect and investigated the situation to ascertain if there were any other threats or additional suspects at the school,” Hinojos said.

Capps explained that the on-campus investigation included other students being brought to the office for questioning while the school remained in lockdown as is the protocol.

“However, rumors of multiple students being involved are not true as there is only one suspect,” Capps added.

Hinojos said with the help of Oak Hills High School administrators, the California Highway Patrol, and San Bernardino County Sheriff's deputies, the investigation was completed and Oak Hills administrators were authorized to lift the campus lockdown.

“The office was able to help the several hundred families that picked their child up early and sent the call out to parents shortly before dismissal," Capps said.

The arrest, rumors quelled

According to Hinojos, the 15-year-old boy was arrested and booked on suspicion of possessing a firearm on school grounds, possession of a stolen firearm and resisting arrest.

The firearm was confiscated by school police officers and will remain in their custody until this case is resolved, the chief stated.

Hinojos emphasized that there was only one suspect in the incident and that there is “absolutely no evidence that the acts of this single subject are in any way linked to the graffiti vandalism threats against Oak Hills earlier this month.”

“We are aware of social media rumors being spread regarding further threats against Oak Hills High School,” Hinojos stated.” As of right now we can find no validity to these rumors.”

A "threatening video" circulating online caught the attention of police and school administrators on Thursday. The video, which did not mention Oak Hills High School by name, depicted "several males in a home, wearing hoodies and cursing several individuals by first name while covering their faces," school officials said in a written statement. "One of the individuals appears to be holding a weapon."

A heightened law enforcement presence was brought to the campus on Friday "out of an abundance of caution," the statement said.

More: 'Threatening video' posted online prompts law enforcement response at Oak Hills High School

Despite no credible threats against Oak Hills High School or any district schools, out of an abundance of caution, school police will maintain an elevated law enforcement presence at Oak Hills High School, Hinojos said.

“We are also offering counseling services to students and staff to help with the impact of this incident,” Capps said. “Although this is a situation that we all wished we would never have to deal with, I am thankful that my team and law enforcement followed protocol and took immediate action with the safety of students and staff as priority #1.”

Capps stated that parents and students should contact the Oak Hills front office with questions or if they need counseling support. Oak Hills High School can be reached at 760-244-2283.

Anyone with information on the firearm on-campus incident can reach Hesperia School Police at 760- 244-1091. Callers wishing to remain anonymous can contact the We-Tip Hotline at 800-78-CRIME (27463) or wetip.com.

Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at RDeLaCruz@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on Twitter @DP_ReneDeLaCruz

This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Oak Hills High principal, police discuss firearm on campus incident