Incident at Rickards-Leon football game causes panic, cancels game
Two local students were arrested in separate incidents, says LCSO.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) - A preseason football game between Rickards and Leon High School came to an abrupt end at halftime on Friday night.
The Leon County Sheriff’s Office tells WCTV an 18-year-old Leon High School student was arrested following an altercation inside the stadium. The incident reportedly caused widespread panic, ”fear and chaos.” For safety purposes, the game was “discontinued.”
School resource deputies who were working the game inside the stadium, called patrol deputies to the scene to help assist with traffic control outside of the venue. As the crowd was exiting the parking lot, deputies spotted a 15-year-old student with a gun tucked inside his waistband. He was also arrested.
An LCSO spokesman tells WCTV the weapon was later determined to be an Airsoft gun, which shoots BBs or pellets. It is unclear what charge he will be facing, but the student, who was said to attend the Success Academy, would be transferred to the Juvenile Assessment Center. The 18-year-old student would be taken to the Leon County Detention Facility on a charge of public affray, or fighting in public.
The incident was listed on the Tallahassee Online Police Statistics (TOPS) Map as a ‘WEAPONS OR FIREARMS’ incident. No shots were fired.
The game was played inside Gene Cox Stadium off Paul Russell Road in Tallahassee. No further details were immediately available late Friday night as the investigation was ongoing.
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