LORAIN — A seventh-grade student found with a plastic gun at school Wednesday afternoon will be charged with inducing panic, police said.

Lorain Schools Superintendent Cheryl Atkinson said the boy will also face suspension or expulsion.

A couple of Longfellow Middle School students overheard the boy talking excitedly about the toy, which he was keeping in his backpack. They told the principal and the Louisiana Avenue school was locked down about 2:30 p.m., district Security Director Ken Klein said.

The gun was black and looked like a semi-automatic pistol, he said.

“They couldn’t determine whether it was real or not, so they went the safe route for the students,” Klein said.

Halls were cleared and the school’s sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders were told to stay in their locked rooms. Teachers continued with classes as normal while police examined the gun, Klein said. Dismissal proceeded as normal.

Atkinson said a letter was sent home to parents explaining what had happened and the safety measures that were taken.

The boy — whose age was not available Wednesday — was taken home and later, to the county detention home, Lorain police Sgt. Marty Carreon said.

Contact Jason Hawk at 329-7148 or jhawk@chroniclet.com.

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