Police: Roosevelt student brings realistic replica handgun to school

A 14-year-old Roosevelt High School freshman was arrested Friday after police say he brought a realistic replica handgun onto the campus and tried to sell it to another student.

Lt. Joe Gomez said the student attempted to pass off the starter pistol – one used to fire blanks to begin horse or track races – as a real gun. It looked “exactly like a .357 Magnum revolver,” Gomez added.

A student saw the weapon as the suspect showed it to his classmates and “became quite scared and told staff what the suspect was doing,” Gomez said. The Fresno Police Department student resource officer and staff stopped the suspect around 1:30 p.m. and found the replica handgun in his backpack.

This story was originally published September 23, 2016 at 5:38 PM with the headline "Police: Roosevelt student brings realistic replica handgun to school."