BROWARD COUNTY, Fla. – Broward County Schools Superintendent Peter Licata told Local 10 News Tuesday the safety of its students remains one of his top priorities following two school gun-related incidents in the past week.
“I’m disappointed that students would bring weapons. It’s not what we expect of them, Licata said. “We expect parents to be there as well.”
Licata’s comments come after Broward Sheriff’s Office detectives said they discovered two guns, loaded magazines and illicit drugs in a vehicle that was found in the parking lot of Deerfield Beach High School on Monday.
Authorities said two students were detained and later identified as Turell Persaud Ali and Kameryn McLaughlin. Both students are 17 years old.
Jail records show both teens are facing several charges, which include possession of weapons on school property, and possession of illicit drugs. Ali is facing an additional charge of trespassing because he is not a student at the school.
Allison Roussel, who lives nearby, told Local 10 News Monday that her street was filled with worried parents trying to pick up their kids.
“Today was scary. I knew something happened,” she said.
Ali and McLaughlin both appeared in Broward juvenile court on Tuesday and were ordered to remain in jail for 21 days until prosecutors decide whether to prosecute them as adults.
While there was no immediate threat to students, the school went into lockdown Monday afternoon as a precautionary measure.
The Deerfield Beach incident is the second school scare in just one week for Broward County.
On Friday, deputies said 18-year-old Jamar Ali Ross was arrested for bringing a loaded handgun to Stranahan High School, causing chaos on campus and leaving the community worried.
In response to a handful of recent incidents involving weapons and violent incidents at South Florida high schools, Licata says he hopes to have metal detectors at some, if not all high schools in Broward County.
“I’m gonna push it hard, bring it to the board in a month or two when the contract is awarded and hopefully have them in place by August,” he said.