For the second time in less than three weeks, West Port High School was placed on lockdown Monday morning after reports of a weapon on campus triggered a massive law enforcement response, prompting the arrests of four individuals.
Emergency personnel from the Ocala Police Department (OPD) and the Marion County Sheriff’s Office responded to the campus, located at 3733 SW 80th Avenue in Ocala, on Monday morning after receiving a report of a gun on school property.
According to a statement issued by OPD at 10:40 a.m., the school was briefly placed under a lockdown while officers secured the area.
Authorities confirmed that four individuals have been detained in connection with the incident. Upon searching the individuals, officers recovered a BB gun from one of the suspects.
Ocala Police reported that there are no injuries, no one is in danger, and the active threat has been resolved.
The incident adds to a volatile month for Marion County high schools, which have seen a string of security disruptions.
On Friday, May 1, West Port High School experienced a “Code Red” lockdown after receiving an anonymous bomb threat.
That same week, North Marion High School was locked down past the closing bell on a Tuesday afternoon due to an unspecified threat.
Less than 24 hours prior to that, Forest High School in Ocala was also locked down following what authorities ultimately determined was a false “swatting” call.
Law enforcement officials have not yet stated whether the suspects detained Monday have any connection to the previous wave of hoaxes and threats across the school district.