A teen carrying an airsoft pistol prompted a brief lockdown of an east London high school.
London police were called to Clarke Road Secondary School around 11am on Tuesday after getting a report that a male student was spotted on school property with what appeared to be a gun. The school was placed under lockdown for roughly ten minutes as a safety precaution.
Officers arrested a 16-year-old student near the school and determined the weapon to be an airsoft pistol.
No one was injured during the incident.
In a statement on the school's website, Principal Todd Woolings commended staff and students for following safety procedures during the incident. He also proved parents with a brief outline of how the events unfolded.
"Clarke Road Secondary School initiated a lockdown as a safety precaution this morning after receiving a report of a student with a weapon on school property," Woolings said in the statement. "The student left the property and police were immediately contacted. The lockdown was lifted after about ten minutes, and police quickly apprehended the student. No weapon was found, but police are continuing the investigation."
Police are reminding the public that all guns, whether real or fake, pose a significant threat to public safety. Officers are trained to treat all guns as real until proven otherwise.