A 16-year-old youth has been arrested in relation to the lockdown at Dr. Charles Best secondary last week.
Coquitlam RCMP Cpl. Jamie Chung said the teen was arrested in the early morning hours of March 29, the day after the lockdown occurred at the school. He is now facing two criminal charges for failing to comply with conditions of an undertaking from a prior charge, which include a curfew and not to possess a cell phone.
"The lockdown was necessary because the information we received was very serious and the safety of everyone at or around the school was paramount to us," Chung said in a release.
At about 2 p.m. on Wednesday, March 28 Charles Best principal Mary O'Neill recognized the young man, believed to be a former student, and escorted him off school grounds. There was also an unconfirmed report that he had a gun.
School protocol is to initiate a lockdown and have students stay in their classrooms until police confirm it can be lifted. Parents were being asked to pick up their kids at the nearby Coquitlam Alliance Church until the lockdown was lifted shortly before 4 p.m.
"This individual caused havoc to everyone who works or studies at Charles Best secondary and to the community around the school," Chung said. "In addition, his actions had many parents worried about the safety of their kids."
There was no weapon found at the scene or during the arrest.
The teen, who cannot be named due to provisions in the Youth Criminal Justice Act, is scheduled to appear in B.C. Provincial Court in Port Coquitlam on April 4.
Chung said it's possible that as the Crown reviews the file there may be additional charges stemming directly from the lockdown.
