SAN ANTONIO — With the new school year just a few days old, a potential threat at one local school has already been stopped.
Authorities say someone used the San Antonio ISD anonymous tip-reporting system to warn district police about a disturbing social media post that turned out to be true at Edison High School on Santa Monica Street Tuesday.
District Police Chief Johnny Reyes, Jr. said he is grateful for the help.
"Because this individual chose to make a good choice and report what was seen, it falls right in line with 'If you see something, say something,' and all in all, it was successful," Reyes said. "We prevented a weapon from coming on our campus and no one was injured."
Reyes said the tip included a post with a picture of an 18-year-old male student, sitting in his vehicle parked in the street in front of the campus and displaying a handgun.
While the gun was not on school grounds and there was never a direct threat, Reyes said the image was disturbing enough that his officers took immediate action.
The teen who posted the image, Reyes said, was arrested on campus without incident.
"He had no idea we were aware of the situation because of the anonymous reporting; he was totally off guard. It was very smooth and he was detained immediately," Reyes said. "This is a high-end charge for an 18-year-old individual who made a bad choice and brought a loaded weapon on or near our campus, which is a state jail felony charge."
Reyes said the gun had previously been reported stolen, so it will remain in the custody of school police until the case is resolved.
"It doesn't belong to him, so he will never get possession back of that firearm," Reyes said.
The teen was released from jail on a $20,000 bond soon after his arrest.
Reyes has high praise for the 3-year-old anonymous reporting system.
"It allows people to anonymously report criminal or non criminal activity. Students can report needs. Is someone being bullied? Does someone need mental health resources for themselves or their friends?"
Reyes said the online prompts never ask anyone to share their personal information.
"We never ask them to identify themselves, nor is there any prompts in the system that request them to identify themselves. It's completely anonymous," Reyes said.
Court records indicate the student is due in the 144th District Court on Oct. 5 to answer to the charge of possessing a firearm on a school premises. Reyes said the teen will also be dealing with some sort of administrative action.
Edison High's principal shared the following message with the school community following the arrest:
"Dear Parents,
"I want to inform you of an incident that affected our campus today. Through the district's anonymous tip line, we received information that immediately prompted our SAISD Police Department to contact and detain a student on campus. The investigation led to the discovery of a firearm in the student's vehicle parked near the school. This type of incident is taken very seriously, and appropriate disciplinary action will be taken.
"We understand that the student may have posted a photo to social media prior to coming to school, and we appreciate the due diligence of the individual who alerted us. This allowed our officers to act swiftly and keep the campus safe. Our K-12 Anonymous Reporting system is available on both the district home page (green button) and all campus websites (from the Community drop-down menu).
"Student safety is a top priority at SAISD schools, and we want to keep families informed of situations as soon as we are able. We thank you for your support and understanding."