Cops: 4 brought gun into Waukgean High

Four boys face criminal charges after bringing a semiautomatic pistol to Waukegan High School, officials said Thursday.

The discovery of the gun Wednesday afternoon prompted officials to "lock down" the high school while they searched for another weapon, Waukegan Police Lt. Ed Fitzgerald said.

Four male students - three 15-year-olds and a 14-year-old - were taken to the Depke Juvenile Detention Center near Vernon Hills, where they were each charged with aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, a Class 4 felony. The names of the students were not released because of their ages.

Fitzgerald said a student at the high school's Washington Street campus at 1011 Washington St., saw another student with the handgun inside the gym locker room.

The student immediately notified a teacher, who went to confront the student and saw a group of kids standing together in the locker room, huddled over something. When he approached the group, the teacher saw the 15-year-old student holding the gun, Fitzgerald said.

The student ran out of the locker room with the gun, followed by the teacher who radioed for the school resource officer.

The student ran out of the building, but was caught by the teacher near Victory Street and Glen Rock Avenue, Fitzgerald said. The gun was found and turned over to the school resource officer.

Police determined the gun was not loaded while at school, officials said

During the investigation, officials learned there may have been another gun in the school, and placed the building on "lockdown" status, Fitzgerald said.

Students were released one classroom at a time, Fitzgerald said, and each student was forced to pass through a metal detector before exiting the building.

Following the search of students, staff searched the building but did not find a second gun. Officials later learned a second gun was removed from the school by a student before police arrived. That student was one of those arrested, officials said.