BATON ROUGE - A 16-year-old Tara High School student was arrested Monday morning when staff did a random search and found a loaded gun in his school bag. 

The East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff's Office said the student told deputies he didn't know it was in his backpack. 

Tara High officials said the dean of students discovered a weapon in the student's abandoned backpack that was sitting outside the school. 

"The student abandoned the backpack after seeing the security measures in place upon arrival. This incident reinforces the importance of our safety protocols, and we are grateful to our dean for his vigilance in ensuring the well-being of our students and staff," Principal John Hayman said in an email to parents. "We firmly believe that our security measures helped prevent this weapon from entering our campus."

He was charged with illegal carrying of a firearm, carrying a firearm on school property and in a firearm-free zone. 

Anyone with information about similar incidents can call (225) 398-5000.