Sue Hartigan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: Armed Student in Idaho Surrenders > POCATELLO, Idaho (AP) -- A 14-year-old student at a > school for troubled youths pulled a gun on the > principal today, and then holed up inside for five > hours before surrendering after trading his guns for > cigarettes, pizza and soda. > > The principal escaped unharmed, and police said it was > unclear whether four students who were in the school > with the boy were held hostage. > > ``The other students may be in there willingly,'' > police Lt. Garry Pritchett said about an hour before > the standoff ended with no injuries. > > ``They ate all the pizza, they drank all the pop and > they trashed the whole building,'' police Capt. Mike > Stayner said. > > Initially, police believed several students and > possibly a teacher were being held hostage at The > Alternate School by the boy, who fired a shot into a > wall or ceiling and demanded cigarettes and alcohol. > > Around 11 a.m., 2 1/2 hours after the standoff began, > two students walked out separately, leaving four -- two > boys and two girls -- inside with the armed student. > > A little after 1 p.m., the remaining five students came > out and were put in the back seats of police cruisers. > > Earlier, a psychiatrist talked to the armed student. > > Pritchett said the students had been watching the > standoff on television until police ordered cameras > removed from the area and a cable to television sets > inside the school severed. > > The area around the school was cordoned off and all > homes within a block were evacuated after the incident > began about 8:30 a.m. > > About 90 minutes into the standoff, somebody stepped > outside and placed a gun on the ground. A short time > later, a person -- it was unclear if it was the same > one -- kicked the gun farther away. > > Pritchett said the 14-year-old, who remained armed with > another weapon, had swapped a .22-caliber semiautomatic > pistol for packages of cigarettes from police. He later > traded a .45-caliber weapon for pizza and pop. > > Police said the youth had threatened principal Paul > Matthews on Wednesday. The boy returned today and > pulled a weapon on Matthews, who threw a table between > them and ordered students to evacuate, Matthews said. > > Christopher Williams, spokesman for the Bannock School > District, said the incident occurred in the school's > multipurpose room. Matthews had just begun his daily > routine of explaining what would be on the students' > agenda when the boy pulled the gun. > > ``He (Matthews) told me he had just gotten out about > three sentences when the student pulled the gun,'' > Williams said. > > The school normally has 30-35 students. There are 10 > students per class and three teachers and a principal > at any one time. > > Pocatello, with about 50,000 residents, is located in > southeastern Idaho, about 200 miles east of Boise and > 150 miles north of Salt Lake City. -- Two rules in life: 1. Don't tell people everything you know. 2. Subscribe/Unsubscribe, email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] In the body of the message enter: subscribe/unsubscribe law-issues
