A person is in police custody after students saw someone with a weapon near Orchard Knob Middle School today.
Hamilton County Schools spokesman Tim Hensley said the person is believed to be a student of the school.
When students reported the suspicious activity, Chattanooga Police Department responded and the person fled, ditching the weapon, which turned out to be an airsoft weapon, Hensley said.
It is unclear if the incident happened before or after dismissal, but since students were still present at school, the school was placed on lockdown while police searched the area.
Orchard Knob Middle School does have a school resource officer assigned by the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office. The SRO placed the school on lockdown as a “precautionary measure,” according to an HCSO spokesman and assisted CPD in the search.