Teen’s Ghost Gun Factory Busted!

A sign reading 'LOCKDOWN' hanging in a classroom with empty chairs

A 16-year-old San Diego student was caught walking into school with a loaded handgun concealed in his pants — and police say that was just the beginning, with investigators uncovering a home operation using a 3D printer to manufacture ghost guns allegedly being supplied to other teens.

Story Highlights

San Diego police arrested a 16-year-old at Garfield High School on May 6 after obtaining a warrant tied to firearms supply and robbery allegations.
The teen had a loaded handgun hidden in his pants at the time of arrest, according to police.
A search of the teen’s home turned up a 3D printer, handgun parts, machine gun conversion devices, ammunition, and a handgun magazine.
Police are investigating whether the teen was manufacturing and supplying ghost guns to other juveniles.

Arrested on Campus With a Loaded Gun

San Diego Police Department officers arrested a 16-year-old male student at Garfield High School on May 6 after securing a warrant. The San Diego Police Department’s Ghost Gun Apprehension Team had been investigating the teen for allegedly supplying firearms and for involvement in a recent robbery at a trolley station. When officers located and detained him on school grounds, they found a loaded handgun concealed in his pants.

Garfield High School Principal Guillermo Medina confirmed the school would pursue the most serious disciplinary response available. Medina stated that bringing a firearm onto campus results in an automatic recommendation for expulsion, and that the school intended to follow through with that process. The arrest was carried out with assistance from multiple law enforcement agencies working alongside the San Diego Police Department’s specialized ghost gun unit.

Home Search Reveals Ghost Gun Manufacturing Operation

A subsequent search of the teen’s home produced a significant haul of firearm-related materials. Police recovered multiple lower receivers for handguns, a 3D printer, carbon filament, 3D-printed machine gun conversion devices, a handgun magazine, and ammunition. The combination of a functional 3D printer with printed handgun components points to an active manufacturing setup rather than simple possession of a single illegal weapon.

Ghost guns — unserialized firearms that are manufactured privately and lack traceable serial numbers — have become a growing concern for law enforcement agencies across California and nationally. The materials recovered from this teen’s home reflect exactly the kind of do-it-yourself manufacturing pipeline that police departments have warned about. California already has some of the strictest gun laws in the nation, yet a teenager allegedly built an operation capable of producing functional firearms inside a residential home.

Investigators Eye Possible Supply Network Among Juveniles

Beyond the on-campus arrest, police said they were actively investigating whether the teen had been supplying the firearms he manufactured to other juveniles. That allegation, if proven, would elevate this case from a serious individual offense to something far more alarming — a teen-run gun distribution network operating in and around a public high school. The San Diego Police Department’s Ghost Gun Apprehension Team was the lead investigative unit behind the case.

Garfield High student, 16, arrested on suspicion of bringing loaded gun to school https://t.co/s3f9H8sgPT

— The San Diego Union-Tribune (@sdut) May 14, 2026

The teen was booked into a local juvenile detention facility on charges that include robbery, illegal gun possession, and gun-related offenses. Formal charges are subject to the juvenile court process, and because the suspect is a minor, many of the underlying case documents may remain sealed or heavily redacted. What is clear from the public record is that police found a loaded firearm on a student inside a school, and a search of his home turned up the materials needed to build more. Parents, school staff, and community members in San Diego have every reason to take this case seriously — and to demand that the justice system treat it accordingly.