Elyria High School student arrested, allegedly brought gun to school (UPDATED)

An Elyria High School student was chased from the building by a school resource officer and is under arrest after police say that he brought a gun to school on Thursday. Elyria police Capt. Bill Lantz said at 11:55 a.m. Thursday, school resource officer Joe Figula received a tip that a student had a gun inside the school. Figula was quickly able to locate the 17-year-old student, and pursued him as he ran out of the school. Lantz said that the chase went several blocks north into downtown Elyria, where additional Elyria police officers arrived and were able to apprehend the student. With the assistance of a K-9 unit and a drone from the Lorain County Sheriff's Office, police searched the area. The K-9 unit found a handgun that was believed to have been dumped by the student, who was not identified by police. Police said that during the investigation, the student admitted to bringing the gun onto school property and fleeing when they saw the school resource officer. The incident is still under investigation. The student, being held at the county Juvenile Detention Facility, faces felony charges of tampering with evidence, carrying concealed weapons, illegal conveyance or possession of a deadly weapon in a school zone and obstructing official business. The student also faces misdemeanor charges of inducing panic and resisting arrest. The school was placed under a lockout during the incident. "The important thing here was once the officer located that juvenile, that occurred very quickly, and the juvenile left the school premises, which was really good given the circumstances and the information that was known," Lantz said. Elyria Police Chief James Welsh said that the weapon was found loaded and the student had a bullet on him when he was found and he told police that he had brought the gun to school for his protection. Police are still investigating who the weapon belonged to. Welsh credited Figula and the other security officers at Elyria High School with their speed and commitment in handling the incident. "Officer Figula as well as the security officers assigned to the high school did a fantastic job quickly identifying where the student was, and Officer Figula gave chase and ended up locating the suspect," Welsh said. "Because of his quick action, he prevented a dangerous situation from escalating into something that could be life-threatening." Elyria Schools Communications and Marketing Director Amy Higgins said that disciplinary action against the student would be pursued in addition to the criminal case, but she could not share further details due to privacy rules. "We are grateful to our staff and the Elyria Police Department for their swift response, and we are thankful that this situation was resolved safely," Higgins said in a call made to district parents. "At all times, our primary responsibility is to respond quickly and effectively to ensure the safety of our students and staff." Contact Owen MacMillan at (440) 329-7123 or omacmillan@chroniclet.com.