MIAMI – A 24-year-old man was arrested Thursday on multiple charges after he pulled out a bag with two guns inside during a fight that happened just outside Miami Northwestern Senior High School, authorities said.
According to his arrest report, Edward Rodgers Jr., of Miami, was amongst a group of teens and adults who gathered outside the school, at 1100 NW 71st St., at dismissal time Thursday afternoon to watch a fight.
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A Miami-Dade Schools Police officer wrote in the report that he approached the crowd to de-escalate the situation and saw Rodgers getting out of the backseat of a gray sedan that was parked on the roadway and “fidgeting with an open bag.”
“Gun! The guy with the gray jacket has a gun!” multiple people shouted as they ran away, the officer wrote.
The officer said he approached the car with his gun drawn and saw Rodgers holding an open bag that had two guns inside.
The officer wrote in the report that he ordered Rodgers to drop the bag.
Rodgers complied and was taken into custody, authorities said.
He faces charges of exhibiting a gun on school property, disrupting an educational institution, trespassing at a school and improper exhibition of a firearm.
Despite the charges, a Miami-Dade Schools spokesperson said in a statement that weapons were only confiscated off campus Thursday and that the incident did not happen on campus, but near the school.
“After dismissal, increased police presence was noted at the school due to an incident in close proximity to the school,” the spokesperson said. “In the course of investigating this incident, weapons were recovered off-campus. The subjects were taken into custody.”
According to Rodgers’ arrest report, two rifles were found in the bag he was carrying. Police said he told them he went to the school because his sister “was jumped today by a group of guys.”
Community activists told Local 10 News reporter Janine Stanwood Thursday that they are fed up with the recent violence that has occurred on and off campus involving Miami Northwestern students.
Earlier in the day Thursday, Local 10 was provided a photo of a crowd surrounding a fight on campus and another photo of who Local 10 News was told was the assistant principal trying to subdue a student.
A spokesperson for the school district confirmed that an incident occurred Thursday in which a strawberry-flavored yogurt was flung.
Video of a brawl at the school was also taken just last week.
Activists say they’re thankful those involved were not more seriously hurt.