A 13-year-old boy who police say tried to enter a Wisconsin elementary school while armed has been arrested.
Authorities in Kenosha, just south of Milwaukee, said the teenager was carrying a backpack and a large duffel bag when he tried to enter Roosevelt Elementary School around 9 a.m., local time, on Thursday.
He allegedly tried “numerous outside doors and entrances” before using the school’s secured entry, Kenosha Unified School District Superintendent Jeff Weiss said.
After the teen was questioned by school staff, he fled into a nearby neighborhood.
During an investigation, authorities shared a surveillance photo of the suspect and asked the community for help.
Investigators received “numerous tips regarding the identity and location of the person depicted in the photo” — including a disturbing video that appears to show the teen carrying a rifle and “practicing entry techniques,” Kenosha Police Chief Patrick Patton said at a news conference Thursday afternoon.
The tips led to the arrest of the teen just after 2 p.m.
According to Patton, investigators also have information that the young suspect “performed multiple internet searches related to school shootings,” in the past.
“We narrowly missed a tragedy today, and we’re just going to re-encourage everybody [to] when they see something, say something,” Patton said.