2 teenagers arrested for carrying weapons near 2 Lorain schools

LORAIN, Ohio — Two teenagers were arrested and charged after being found with guns near two Lorain schools.

On Thursday, around 1 p.m., Lorain High School staff saw two former students who had been expelled and banned from the property. The district said the boys were walking through the parking lot and a school safety coordinator noticed at least one of them carrying a weapon.

When school resource officers were alerted, the teens ran to nearby Frank Jacinto Elementary School. Police said a staff member saw them throw a pair of guns over a fence.

The suspects were arrested in a nearby yard and now face weapons and other charges.

“It surprised me because this neighborhood is really calm and peaceful. And I know everyone. It’s a great community,” said Rebeca Sebastian.

Her third and fifth grade children both attend Jacinto Elementary School, near the family home. Sebastian said he received an email from the district stating that elementary and middle schools were closed Thursday evening due to the incident.

“When I go to pick up my children, the teacher said to me: ‘Oh, today we are confined because of this situation.’ And I’m just like, “What? “, she remembers.

She said she was grateful the school acted quickly to ensure students’ safety.

“They handled the situation very, very well. It’s a great school,” she said.

Other neighbors said the incident was alarming.

“It scares me because there’s no joke. They don’t joke like, “Oh, I brought my dad’s gun to school today” or anything like that. They’re up there doing something,” Leah Benoit said.

She recently moved to the neighborhood from another part of Lorain and said that after Thursday’s arrests and the threat of a Lorain school closing in September, her family changed its routine.

“I think my daughter worries when she brings her grandchildren, that these things are happening so quickly and so close together,” she said.

Sebastian believes this is an isolated event and does not question the safety of the neighborhood.

“We feel safe here,” she said. “This is the first time we’ve heard of something like this after three years of living in this neighborhood.”

Benoit hopes that the neighborhood will regain its relative calm.

“We hope this will work out because we want to enjoy life here and feel safe,” she said.

Both teens were taken into custody and taken to the Lorain County Juvenile Detention Facility. Police recovered the weapons from the scene.

The Lorain Police Department and Lorain City Schools exchanged praise for their responses during the incident.

“The Lorain Police Department commends Lorain City Schools staff members for their commitment to the safety and security of all who attend, visit and work in our schools,” police said in a statement from press.

“This situation, while serious, has reinforced our confidence in our safety measures and the strength of our school community,” Christa Lokiec, LCS director of communications, said in a press release. “We are extremely proud of our staff, especially Carmen Ransom, whose instincts led to the initial identification of the threat. We also express our gratitude to the Lorain Police Department for their quick and effective response.”