Rialto middle schooler arrested after loaded handgun found in backpack, police said

A 13-year-old was arrested Monday, Sept. 27, after bringing a loaded handgun in his backpack to Kolb Middle School in Rialto, police said.

A safety intervention officer with the Rialto Unified School District located the weapon after the student was detained and a search was conducted, said Syeda Jafri, a spokeswoman for the school district. Jafri declined to say how the officer was made aware of the firearm.

The Rialto Police Department was notified about the weapon about 12:20 p.m. and the student was taken into custody at 1:13 p.m., police said. He was booked at juvenile hall on suspicion of possession of a firearm in a gun-free school zone and possession of a concealed firearm, police said.

Kolb Middle School Principal Armando Urteaga advised the school staff about the incident and sent a voice message alert to parents, Jafri said.

“We also appreciate our students taking responsibility for their campus by proactively exercising the ‘see something, say something’ campaign,” Jafri said in a statement for the district.

Why the student was carrying a loaded gun at school was not immediately clear.

The Police Department asks anyone who may have information related to the incident to contact Investigations Lt. James Mills at 909-820-2632.

The school district also is investigating the incident, police said.