BATON ROUGE - An 11-year-old elementary school student was arrested after she brought an unloaded gun to school Thursday, authorities say.

According to the East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office, its school drug task force responded to La Belle Aire Elementary around 9:30 a.m. Thursday after receiving reports of a student playing with a gun and a lighter off campus before the start of class.

The principal told deputies that the student was searched after she arrived at school with her mother that morning, and it was discovered she was carrying an unloaded .40 caliber handgun in her backpack.

The sheriff's office says the student had stolen the gun from a family member in order to show it to her friends.

The student was taken to the East Baton Rouge Juvenile Detention Center and charged with illegal carrying of a firearm on school property and carrying a firearm in a firearm-free zone. 

Students with information concerning this incident or similar incidents are encouraged to notify a school administrator or contact the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office at 225-389-5000.