MERIDEN, Conn. — Parents of students at Platt High School in Meriden were feverishly texting back and forth with their children Tuesday morning after a gun threat.
The school's says a trust built between students and some staff of the school resulted in swift action just after 8 a.m. The lockdown lasted for nearly two hours.
"My God, let me tell you I was so scared," Belen Diaz, a parent told FOX61. "I received a phone call from my daughter-in-law. She said something happened in Platt High School."
A student alerted school staff about a concerning social media post by another student.
"A video, believed to have been filmed in the school this morning, was posted on social media showing a student brandishing what was believed to be a firearm," Meriden PD Deputy Chief Jeremiah Scully said.
Assistant Principal Geoff Kenyon said the school was immediately put on lockdown and officers worked with administrators and staff to locate two suspects via internal video.
"At first we thought it was a drill, but then like my teacher had no idea what was going on," freshman, Leslie Madrid, told FOX61. "She was panicking."
Angel Hiraldo, a Platt sophomore, also said students saw officers and red lights on campus.
"People were saying there was a bunch of things happening, but I didn’t believe them," he added.
Police found the 15-year-old and 16-year-old male students they were searching for, with a group of others, in the school's auditorium. A prop gun was located at the auditorium and was reported to be the weapon in the video, the assistant principal said.
"They were cooperative with us once we located them inside the auditorium," Scully said. "They were very forthright as to what had occurred."
Both students will be charged with breach of peace, according to Kenyon.
No injuries were reported. The lockdown was lifted around 10 a.m. and students are back to learning.
"My thing was, why bring a gun to school in general even if it’s fake or any of that," Jaylen Mateo, a Platt junior said.
In a message to parents, Principal Daniel Corsetti wrote: "I want to thank our terrific students and staff and all of you for your patience as we work closely with our terrific police department to handle this serious situation."
Corsetti said the administration is proud of being able to see the threats as they come and catch almost all of them, including a couple of weeks ago when a girl was caught with a taser in her backpack inside the school.
"We contacted the parent immediately and the child was issued consequences," Corsetti added.
The Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Mark Benigni, said he doesn't think the kids responsible intended their actions to morph into what it did.
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