Montgomery County High School Student Arrested for Stealing Car, Police Firearm

Joelle Fredman
WMAL.com

MARYLAND — (WMAL) A student at Albert Einstein High School was arrested after he was caught driving a stolen vehicle on school property and possessing an assault rifle belonging to the Montgomery County Police Department.

The School Resource Officer noticed a suspicious blue Mazda parked on the campus Monday morning, which drove away and returned twice.

The officer stopped the vehicle in his marked cruiser, and 18-year-old Mario G. Alvarado of Wheaton, attempted to flee.

Alvarado returned to the scene a short while later and was arrested.

When officers checked the car’s registration they discovered it was stolen. They also found an assault rifle that was recently stolen from a police cruiser.

Superintendent Jack R. Smith wrote in a statement:

“Dear MCPS Community,

On Monday, May 1, a student at Albert Einstein High School committed a serious offense by bringing a gun onto school property. While the gun never entered the school building and remained in a car parked on a remote part of the campus, this is inexcusable. As Principal James Fernandez described in his letter to the community on Monday, this incident was resolved thanks to the vigilance and proactive actions of the school’s dedicated School Resource Officer. I thank our partners in law enforcement and our MCPS security teams for their commitment to keeping schools safe every day.

It is our responsibility to provide a safe learning environment for our students and we will do everything within our power to protect them. MCPS does not tolerate guns on school property. Any student who brings a gun on school property will be referred to law enforcement and disciplined accordingly.

While the mission of MCPS is to educate our students, know that our first priority is, and will always be, to keep your children safe in our schools.”