Clarksburg student faces multiple charges after bringing loaded weapon to school

One day after a gunman took 17 lives at a high school in Parkland, Florida on Feb. 14, a School Resource Officer at Clarksburg High School discovered a student who was carrying a loaded Glock handgun in his backpack. 18 year old Alwin Chen was arrested on multiple charges related to possessing a handgun on school property. The Washington Post reported that the student who alerted Officer Troy Melott about the gun said that Chen was “always talking about bringing guns to school and saying how he would kill anyone,” according to prosecutor’s filings.

Melott and other members of the school security force at CHS removed Chen from his AP Psychology class on Feb. 15 at 2:10 pm. The  School Resource Officer told reporters on Feb. 28th that Chen informed security about the loaded weapon. Upon a search of his possessions, officers recovered the gun, a knife, and a two-page personal document in which Chen wrote “I believe I am mentally insane… and anti-social.”

A search of Chen’s home in Germantown revealed a personal journal and more weapons, including several guns and replica grenades. In an interview with detectives, the high school senior said that he learned how to use a gun by frequenting shooting ranges with his father.

Court documents state that Chen told a detective that he had the weapon, a semi-automatic handgun made from parts ordered online, because he was concerned about a school shooting and wanted to protect himself and others. Police believe that Chen carried the gun on him regularly between December 2017 and February 2018, either in his backpack or in a holster underneath an untucked shirt. A witness said they also saw Chen wearing body armor in the school on several occasions.

In an emergency bond hearing on Feb. 27, attorneys representing Chen argued that the Montgomery County District Judge John C. Moffett had been prejudiced in his initial decision to hold the 18 year old without bond because of false information, such as the existence of a “list of grievances,” that was “profoundly incorrect,” according to court files. Moffett requested that Chen be released to home detention.

Prosecutors, including Assistant State’s Attorney Frank Lazzaro, requested that the court rule that Chen should continue to be held without bond due to the nature of his journal entries, which discussed death and his mental health. “Every student at Clarksburg High School was placed in danger and [Chen] continues to present a danger to the public today,” Lazzaro told the court, according to court files.

According to WTOP, Moffett told the court that he believed that the defendant posed a risk to society due to the nature of the journal entries and his knowledge of crafting guns. Chen will remain behind bars until his trial, which is scheduled for Mar. 29th at Montgomery County District Court in Silver Spring.