Authorities in Wisconsin said an armed 13-year-old carrying a backpack and duffel bag was stopped from entering an elementary school Thursday morning after being confronted by school staff and taken into custody. seen several hours later.

“We just missed a tragedy,” Kenosha Police Chief Patrick D. Patton told reporters Thursday.

The 13-year-old, who previously attended Roosevelt Elementary School, attempted to enter the building around 9 a.m. local time, Patton said.

The suspect attempted to enter through other doors in the school building but was unable to gain entry, Kenosha Unified School District Superintendent Jeffrey Weiss told reporters at a conference press. He then approached the main entrance and was led into a vestibule. Two school employees confronted the student, who became nervous and then ran away, Weiss said.

“I cannot emphasize how heroic our office staff was,” Weiss said, adding “They helped avert a disaster.”

Police later identified the teenage suspect, thanks to tips from the community.

“We can confirm that this was not just a suspicious individual, we believe it was in fact a suspect with a gun and there was no reason legitimate to come into the school,” Patton said at a later news conference.

Police arrested the suspect shortly after 2 p.m. local time. At the earlier news conference, police released a video they said showed the suspect with a gun and said the suspect looked up school shootings online and made comments to fellow students during the weeks preceding the incident.

Kenosha is located about 40 miles south of Milwaukee.