California high school student arrested after shooting fellow pupil in the arm

One injury reported

A California high schooler has been taken into custody after shooting a fellow student in the arm.

Around 7am local time, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department responded to reports of shots being fired at Highland High School in Palmdale.

Authorities said they had apprehended a 14-year-old male suspect and recovered a single firearm, a rifle, off campus. Los Angeles County sheriff Jim McDonnell said authorities were “reasonably sure” the threat had been contained.

One victim was shot in the arm and was in stable condition at an area hospital. He was also a 14-year-old.

As well as Highland, three other schools in the local area were placed on lockdown.

While the response was unfolding Highland High School, in a post on Facebook, warned people to “stay clear of campus” as deputies worked to “assess the situation”.

The sheriff's department received an additional call about shots fired at a nearby elementary school but could not confirm that report. Deputies searched Manzanita Elementary School but did not find evidence of a crime.

Palmdale, a city of about 150,000 people, is about an hour's drive north of downtown Los Angeles.