Streamwood High student taken into custody after displaying pellet gun

A Streamwood High School student was taken into custody Friday and suspended from school after police said he brought a pellet gun to school and showed it to several students.

A witness reported what she'd seen to school officials and the Streamwood police liaison.

The 15-year-old student was questioned, and police said they recovered the pellet gun in his waistband. It was not loaded, authorities said.

The unnamed student, who lives in Streamwood, was placed under arrest and taken to the police station.

Streamwood Deputy Police Chief James Gremo said the department is consulting with the state's attorney's office on possible charges against the juvenile.

Police said the teen displayed the pellet gun at around 8:30 a.m. while walking to his second-period class.

Elgin Area Unit District 46 spokesman Tony Sanders said the student has been suspended from school for an as-yet-undetermined period of time. Most suspensions last 10 days, he added.

The district does not have a zero-tolerance policy on weapons but takes such incidents very seriously, Sanders said.

"I don't know of any exceptions of a student being suspended or even expelled for bringing a weapon into school," Sanders said.

District policy prohibits using, possessing, controlling or transferring guns, knives, explosive devices or any other item that can cause bodily harm and be used as a weapon.

Even look-alike weapons can be considered a breach of policy, Sanders said.

Gremo said it might take until early next week to file formal charges against the student. In the meantime, being a juvenile, he was to be released to the custody of his parents.