Upper Darby High teens booked on weapons charges

A 15-YEAR-OLD who was found carrying a loaded gun, ammunition, a knife and marijuana at Upper Darby High School yesterday had traded a second gun to another student earlier in the day for a Taser and $100, police said.

An observant classmate saw the teenage gun dealer showing off the Taser in morning homeroom and alerted a teacher, said Upper Darby Police Superintendent Michael Chitwood.

When the boy was taken in by security for questioning, police discovered the Taser, weapons and a small amount of pot in his book bag, Chitwood said.

Officials found the loaded .25-caliber gun in his hooded sweatshirt, police said.

When asked about the .38-caliber ammunition, the teen told police that he had sold that gun to another 15-year-old student, Chitwood said.

"The sale went down right in homeroom," he said.

The second student was tracked down by school officials, who recovered the gun from him, police said.

According to Chitwood, the first teen stole the .25-caliber gun from his grandfather's house around Thanksgiving and stole the .38-caliber gun from his brother-in-law around Halloween.

Both teens, whose names were not released because of their ages, were taken into custody and are expected to be charged with weapons violations. Chitwood said that the teen who stole the guns from his relatives may also face burglary and theft charges.

Chitwood said that police were preparing search warrants yesterday to find out "if there's anything more to this." He said that it's not clear how the second 15-year-old obtained a Taser.

"We were able to resolve what could have been a potentially dangerous problem," Chitwood said. "Guns plus kids plus schools does not equal education."