Police Employ Stun Gun on Students, Finds Loaded Pistol

Police in Lakeland employed a stun gun on two high school students this morning.

According to Lakeland police, two students were involved in a fight outside the cafeteria at Lakeland High School just before 12 p.m. When the school resource officer was unable to break the two up, he employed his self defense device on them both.

During a search after the fight, the officer located a loaded .38-caliber pistol in the backpack of one of the students.

The 18-year-old with the pistol and the second student were both suspended and charged with misdemeanors for the fight. The 18-year-old also faces two gun-related charges.

In this situation the employment a stun gun was vital to bringing this situation under control, particularly when there was a loaded weapon on scene during the fight.

In today’s society with gun crime a factor that officers are trying to battle it is important that they have access to weapons that can bring about the best results in a dangerous situation, but without the risk of harm in the process.

The only way they can achieve this is with the help from stun guns that have been designed with safety in mind. As these devices are non-lethal they will only apprehend a person for a limited time. This time can either give officers the space they need to take the suspects into police custody or for a member of the public to make their escape from a situation that could escalate.

Unlike a traditional firearm, which pose greater risk to those targeted against and those who may be innocent bystanders, a stun gun does not pose this risk. This is why there are many police departments that have turned their attention to them as they provide the positive results required in situations that demand instant action.

Why the 18-year-old was carrying around a loaded pistol is not known, but the simple fact he had it on him is enough to raise questions to students safety while at school. As a result of this, it is necessary for school resource officers to know that they can rely upon a device to end a situation that could have seen the use of the gun if the fight had been allowed to carry on.

Thankfully that wasn’t the case in this situation and the end result was that both of the boys involved were apprehended with the use of the safety device and subsequently suspended from school.