Police arrest North Las Vegas student who had gun in backpack

Clark County School District police arrested a 15-year-old male student near Cheyenne High School on Wednesday afternoon after finding a loaded handgun in a backpack he tossed away.

Lt. Darnell Couthen said officers were being proactive and made contact with a person that was not where he was supposed to be. The student fled and threw the backpack as he ran, Couthen said.

Couthen said a loaded 9mm pistol was found inside the backpack.

Police later captured the student around 1 p.m. near the high school.

The student faces charges related to obstruction and loitering about school with a deadly weapon, Couthen said. Police said the teenager was a Clark County School District student but did not know if he attended Cheyenne High.