Rockville middle school student arrested for fake gun, Montgomery County police say

ROCKVILLE, Md. - A student was arrested for bringing a fake gun to a middle school in Montgomery County, according to officials.

Montgomery County police said the 12-year-old boy brought the replica gun to Earle B. Wood Middle School in Rockville on Wednesday.

There were about 120 students participating in after-school activities in the auditorium when the student approached a group of girls at about 3:30 p.m., according to police.

Investigators said the 12-year-old pulled out the fake gun from his backpack and showed the group girls, claiming the "safety was on."

The group of girls began screaming when the student started pointing the gun around the auditorium, according to detectives. Officials said the other students in the auditorium saw the 12-year-old with the replica gun and began to run away in a panic.

Police said several students ran to one of the teachers in the auditorium who told them to run and seek shelter.

The teacher approached the 12-year-old, who was sitting on a mat holding the fake gun with his finger on the trigger, and told him to give her the gun, according to investigators.

The student put the replica gun back in his backpack and handed the backpack to the teacher, officials stated. After a closer inspection, the teacher determined it was a plastic gun that had been spray painted black.

The child, whose identity is not being released due to his age, has been charged with disrupting school activities and threatening others with bodily harm.