COCONUT CREEK, Fla. – A senior at Coconut Creek High School was arrested Thursday after he brought a knife to school, police said.
Torrance Stephens, 19, faces a charge of bringing a weapon on school property. He was released from jail Friday on his own recognizance.
According to an arrest report, a teacher told Assistant Principal Edward Rodriguez that Stephens had a knife on him.
Stephens was taken out of class into a security room, where school officials found a black steel 8-inch knife with a 4-inch-steel serrated blade, police said.
According to the report, Stephens provided a taped statement, claiming that he brought the knife to school because he heard that someone was looking for him about two weeks ago.
Police said Stephens claimed that he only brought the knife to school for his protection. His attorney argued Friday that the knife wasn't a weapon because it was a folding knife.
The arrest comes days after a family said they were not notified after five boys jumped another teenager as the school let out on Tuesday.
Broward County Public Schools spokeswoman Nadine Drew claimed that the school's principal attempted to contact the victim's mother several times with no success.
The teen's sister told Local 10 News on Thursday that the principal has since spoken with her mother and assured her that three students who were confirmed to be involved in the fight have been suspended.
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