After receiving a report that juveniles made “shooting gestures” with their fingers toward St. Paul Public Schools security officers, police said they found a realistic-looking pellet gun in an 11-year-old’s backpack.

Officers were called to Humboldt High School on St. Paul’s West Side just before 2:20 p.m. Tuesday regarding the gestures, said Alyssa Arcand, a St. Paul police spokeswoman. The juveniles walked away before police arrived.

Police searched the area and found juveniles about half a mile from the school, at George and Cesar Chavez streets. A juvenile threw a backpack over a fence as officers were approaching, Arcand said.

Officers located the backpack and saw what appeared to be a firearm inside. It was later determined to be a pellet gun.

The 11-year-old boy who’d had the backpack was detained by police and released to family members, according to Arcand.

Police continue to investigate.

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