Student with knife arrested at New Westminster school

A photo shows the back of a New Westminster police officer's jacket. (Twitter, New Westminster Police Department)

Officers used “less lethal” force to arrest an 18-year-old girl allegedly wielding a knife at a high school in Metro Vancouver Wednesday morning, according to authorities.

Police were sent to New Westminster Secondary School around 10:20 a.m. in response to a 911 call.

“According to the caller, the student with the knife had made comments that caused them concern for the safety of students and staff,” a news release from the New Westminster Police Department said.

“When police arrived on scene, they located the suspect standing in a hallway holding a knife.”

According to the department, attempts to de-escalate the situation were unsuccessful, and the student was shot with an ARWEN, which is a “less lethal distance option,” police said.

The teen dropped the knife, was arrested and then taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, police said.

“This could have been an extremely dangerous situation. Thankfully, officers were able to use their training and experience to resolve this situation safely,” New Westminster Police Department spokesperson Sgt. Andrew Leaver said.