COVINGTON, Ga. – Newton High School was under a brief lockdown around 11:30 a.m. today after an anonymous tip that a student had a weapon on campus.

According to a statement from Newton County Sheriff’s Office (NCSO) spokesperson Sgt. Cortney Morrison, school administrators along with the School Resource Officer (SRO) went to the student’s classroom and the student fled from them to the rear parking lot.

Morrison said the student was apprehended by the SRO and arrested. She said while the student was attempting to evade arrest, he threw the weapon which was immediately recovered. The gun was reportedly run through the Georgia Crime Information Center (GCIC) and it returned as stolen.

Morrison identified the student as 17-year-old DeWayne Marcus Franco. Franco was taken to the Newton County Detention Center where he is currently being interviewed by investigators.