On December 5, 2025, at about 3:30 p.m., Deputies were dispatched to Patterson High School to investigate a report that a student had a firearm inside his backpack and had displayed it to another student.
As deputies arrived and out of an abundance of caution school administrators were instructed to initiate a campus lockdown as it was not immediately known whether the student remained on campus. Deputies reviewed school surveillance footage and confirmed the reported incident. With assistance from school staff, the student was quickly identified as a 16-year-old male juvenile and confirmed to be a Patterson High School student.
Once it was determined the student had left campus prior to law enforcement’s arrival, the lockdown was lifted. Deputies then responded to the student’s residence, where they located the juvenile involved. An imitation firearm was recovered during the investigation, and the student was taken into custody.
The juvenile was subsequently transported to Juvenile Hall and booked for felony criminal threats (422 PC), misdemeanor threats on a school campus (71 PC), and possession of a replica firearm (20170(a) PC).
We thank Patterson High School staff for their prompt response and cooperation. The Sheriff’s Office remains dedicated to the safety of our students and campuses, and we encourage the community to stay alert and report suspicious behavior so we can continue working together to keep our schools safe.
