Dad arrested after allegedly pulling a knife on a student at a CMS high school
A man who was arrested on the campus of North Mecklenburg High School, said he pulled out a knife to defend his daughter from a male student who allegedly attacked her and two security officers.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, in a message sent to parents, said that on Monday, a parent pulled a knife on a student with whom he started a fight on the school campus.
A school resource officer “stepped in and the parent was arrested and faces multiple charges,” CMS wrote in the message provided to the Observer. “We do not know the parent’s alleged motives.”
Huntersville Police arrested Luis Berry, 45, on misdemeanor charges of having a weapon on educational property — not a gun, assault with a deadly weapon, second-degree trespass and disorderly conduct, Mecklenburg County jail records show. Berry was released on $3,500 bond.
“They’re making me out to be a criminal,” Berry told The Charlotte Observer in a phone interview Tuesday. “I am 45 years old, and this was the first time I’ve ever been arrested. All I do is work to take care of my kids.”
In an email, Huntersville Police Major Brian Vaughan told the Observer that Berry was arrested after “coming on campus with a weapon (pocket knife) and causing a disturbance. CMS Campus security, and our school resource officers were able to quickly subdue the parent without incident.”
What the father said
Berry told the Observer that he was simply coming to the aid of his daughter, and his intentions have been mischaracterized.
He was in the school pick-up line Monday afternoon, when his 16-year-old daughter called him screaming that a male student had attacked and assaulted her.
He said he left his vehicle to help her and saw a male student allegedly shove two officers away as the student tried to fight his daughter.
“That’s when I pulled out my knife,” he said.
Berry said he works in construction and keeps the 3-inch knife in his pocket to cut rope and other materials on job sites.
Berry said he was arrested for having a knife on campus.
North Carolina laws for weapons on school campuses
State law makes it a Class 1 misdemeanor “to possess or carry, whether openly or concealed, any BB gun, stun gun, air rifle, air pistol, Bowie knife, dirk, dagger, slungshot, leaded cane, switchblade knife, blackjack, metallic knuckles, razors and razor blades (except solely for personal shaving), firework, or any sharp-pointed or edged instrument except instructional supplies, unaltered nail files and clips and tools used solely for preparation of food, instruction, and maintenance, on educational property.”
North Mecklenburg was one of the first schools to install body scanning equipment to screen students for guns and weapons.
The installment followed a record-high number of firearms reported in the district in the 2021-2022 school year, including one fired at West Charlotte High.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
