VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Police arrested four people and confiscated nine guns at a high school football game on Friday night.
“I’m concerned that firearms were on school board property,” explained school board chair, Carolyn Rye.
The Virginia Beach Police Department posted about the incident on Facebook Tuesday morning. It said that members of its Operations & Investigations Division received information about "potential conflict between groups" at a football game.
Rye said the school division’s number one goal is safety.
She said, “Whether it be health mitigation’s related to COVID or school security measures on school grounds, the health and safety remain a priority for this division and this school board."
A spokeswoman for the police department said the game was on Sundevil Drive, which is where Salem High School is. According to the school's football schedule, the team played against Green Run High School Friday.
In a tweet, Virginia Beach Captain Scott Wichtendahl said the weapons were seized on school property. More specifically, police recovered the guns in a parking lot at Salem.
In a joint statement released Wednesday by Virginia Beach Police and Virginia Beach City Public Schools, they said they were first alerted to the football game earlier in the week after learning of a person making threats about shooting someone who might be attending the game. After an investigation, police determined the threat wasn't credible and that the person who made the threat lives outside of Virginia.
Out of an abundance of caution, police said they increased their presence outside the game, patrolling the parking lot. All guns recovered were seen in plain view inside three separate vehicles on school property.
Arrested were:
- Hasan Malik Washington, 18, of Virginia Beach was charged with possession of a firearm on school property.
- Dameron Shaikeem Wright, 18, of Newport News, was charged with 2 counts of possession of a firearm on school property and carrying a loaded firearm in a prohibited place.
- Shaguille Romeo Felton, 30, of Norfolk, was charged with two counts of possession of a firearm on school property and removing or altering a vehicle serial number.
- Julian Gregory Bryant, 29, of Virginia Beach, was charged with possession of a firearm on school property.
Authorities said none of the four people arrested were part of the original threat report.
Virginia Beach City Public Schools released a statement thanking the police department:
We're thankful for the partnership we have with VBPD, who we collaborate with regularly to ensure the safety of students, staff and families. This issue is an example of that collaboration working.
Author's note: The video above is on file from July 2021.