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Police: 16-year-old arrested with ghost gun near school to be charged as adult

A teen faces charges as an adult after Clarksburg High School, Rocky Mill Middle School, and the Goddard School of Clarksburg were locked down Wednesday morning.

CLARKSBURG, Md. — A Clarksburg High School teenager faces charges as an adult after he brought a firearm on school property following a dispute in a parking lot near his home.

Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD) said 911 received a call Wednesday around 10:20 a.m. from a person who said the 16-year-old "display[ed] a handgun" after the two had a dispute in a parking lot. 

The incident happened in the 22400 block of Brick Haven Way, when the teen allegedly hit the caller's parked car police say. After displaying the gun, police say the teen left the parking lot and headed toward Clarksburg High School.

MCPD officers from the Germantown district were dispatched to the scene and, as a result of the 911 call, Clarksburg High School, Rocky Mill Middle School and the Goddard School of Clarksburg were placed on lockdown at 10:35 a.m. Wednesday.

Detectives located the teen — who WUSA9 is not identifying by name because he is a minor — around 11:04 a.m. at his home. He was taken to the Germantown District Police Station for an interview and his car, which was located nearby, was towed to the station for investigation. 

Investigators learned that the teenager is a Clarksburg High School student. Following the dispute in the parking lot, the teen entered the school, but police say he eventually left campus. It is unclear when exactly he arrived at school and left. 

During the school lockdown, police and K9 officers searched the interior and exterior of the campus but did not recover a weapon.

Credit: Montgomery County Police Department
A 16-year-old student from Clarksburg High School was arrested for illegal gun possession. Montgomery County Police Department located "a loaded PMF Polymer80 9MM handgun with an extended 30 round magazine," also known as a ghost gun, in the teen's vehicle.

Detectives "located three Polymer80 kits used for the production of privately made firearms (PMF)" — also known as "ghost guns" — after executing search warrants on the teen's vehicle and home. Police found "a loaded PMF Polymer80 9MM handgun with an extended 30 round magazine" in the teen's vehicle.

By 12:30 p.m., police tweeted that normal school activities resumed and the lockdown at the schools was lifted.

MCPD says the teen was taken the Central Processing Unit and was charged with the following: "first-degree assault, possession of a handgun, handgun by a minor and use of a handgun in the commission of a violent crime."

Police are continuing to investigate this incident. 

Montgomery County Public Schools told WUSA9 letters were sent out to families at Clarksburg High School and Rocky Mill Middle School about the lockdown. The Goddard School confirmed to WUSA9 the school was locked down Wednesday morning.

This news comes less than two weeks after Maryland lawmakers passed a measure to ban ghost guns on March 27. The bill is awaiting Republican Gov. Larry Hogan's signature.

Montgomery County State's Attorney John McCarthy told WUSA9 in an interview March 30 that he is hopeful the governor will sign the bill. 

"This is the most important, intelligent piece of criminal legislation that was in the legislature this year; addressing reducing violence in our community,” McCarthy said.

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