A Florida father was arrested when he brought a loaded AK-47 to school after his son called him in tears saying a teacher had "slammed" him, authorities said.
A Florida father was arrested when he brought a loaded AK-47 to school after his son called him in tears saying a teacher had "slammed" him, authorities said.
Christopher Freeman, 27, was angry when he arrived at Bear Lakes Middle School in West Palm Beach, officials said. The father, who uses a wheelchair, had a weapon in the waistband of his pants, according to campus police.
The school was placed on lockdown and West Palm Beach police officers were called to provide back up, authorities said. Police found an AK-47 Mini Draco pistol with a 30-round extended magazine, police said. The weapon was loaded and had a round in the chamber, police said.
Freeman said he had forgotten he was armed when he arrived at the school and had not intended to harm or shoot anyone, according to police.
He was charged with possession of a firearm on school grounds, aggravated assault with a weapon and disturbing the peace. He is being held at the Palm Beach County Jail in lieu of $75,000 bail, according to online records.
The father told police he was upset after receiving a FaceTime phone call from his son, who was crying and told his dad that a teacher had "slammed" him. While the boy was on the phone, an adult could be seen grabbing the child, sending the phone flying, Freeman told police. Then the call was disconnected, the dad said.
The father's attorney said he will try to get the charges dropped.
"This was more of a misunderstanding than a crime," lawyer Jack Fleischman told ABC News. "He had no intention of harming anyone. We're interested in seeing if there is any security video from (the) school because there were allegations about his child being hit."
Freeman also has a previous case involving drugs and weapons, the Miami Herald reported. He is scheduled to be tried on those counts next month. The incident stems from a 2018 traffic stop, during which officers found guns in Freeman's car, the paper reported.
His next court date is set for April 4 and he intends to plead not guilty to the school charges, Fleischman said.
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