Albany HS student arrested after drawing knife during fight, police say
ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — An Albany High School student has been arrested following a fight at the school on Thursday morning, said the Albany Police Department. The arrest comes after the suspect, 17, reportedly threatened another student and faculty members with a knife.
At around 9:40 a.m., officers responded to Albany High School following reports about a student with a knife. According to school officials, a school monitor witnessed a fight between two students, with the 17-year-old suspect reportedly brandishing a knife.
According to police, the monitor alerted the building’s resource officer over the school radio. The school monitors broke up the confrontation between the two students but, as the resource officer approached, the 17-year-old was still allegedly displaying the knife in a threatening manner. The officer drew his department-issued gun in response as the suspect walked closely past him, the City School District of Albany said in a written statement released Thursday afternoon.
After the officer gave several commands, the 17-year-old student dropped the knife, Albany PD said. The student was reportedly taken into custody without incident.
No injuries were reported during the incident, but it was later found that the second student involved in the fight also had a knife, though it was not displayed during the confrontation, police said. The high school reported that both students passed through the building's regular security procedures at the beginning of the school day.
"It was not immediately clear how the knives entered the building," the district said. "The district's safety team is continuing to investigate that aspect in cooperation with Albany police."
Albany High School was put into lockdown from around 9:40 a.m. to 10:20 a.m. followed by a hold-in-place until shortly after 11 a.m. when normal security procedures returned. The school said it will put increased security measures in place on Friday as a precaution, and students are encouraged to meet with a social worker or school counselor if they would like to talk with an adult about the incident.
The 17-year-old suspect, whose name will not be released due to his age, has been charged with second-degree menacing and fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon. The arrestee was released to a parental guardian and will appear in Albany County Family Court on a later date, police said. Albany CSD said it will follow disciplinary procedures for both students following the Student Code of Conduct.