PLANT CITY, Fla. — A 16-year-old Plant City High School student has been arrested after authorities say he brought a firearm onto campus and threatened two classmates during a robbery.
According to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, the incident occurred on Friday, March 13, 2026, around 8:25 a.m., when a school resource deputy and school administrators were notified that a student had a firearm on campus.
Investigators say two students reported that Neftali Bautista-Lopez approached them and demanded money while threatening to harm them. During the encounter, Bautista-Lopez displayed a firearm inside his backpack, which led one of the victims to hand over cash. He stole over $400 from the victims.
Deputies later located Bautista-Lopez at his residence in Plant City. During questioning, he told deputies he had left the firearm at a friend’s house.
Authorities went to that residence and recovered both the stolen money and the firearm from inside a friend’s vehicle. Investigators said the firearm was not loaded and no ammunition was found.
Bautista-Lopez was taken into custody and is facing multiple charges, including tampering with physical evidence, two counts of robbery with a firearm, disrupting a school campus or function, minor in possession of a firearm, carrying a concealed firearm and possession of a firearm on school property.
Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister said the quick actions of the students, school staff and deputies helped prevent the situation from escalating.
“Bringing a firearm onto a school campus and threatening students is a serious crime that will never be tolerated,” Chronister said. “Thanks to the quick response from the victims, the school and our deputies, this situation was addressed before anyone was harmed.”
Authorities said the investigation remains ongoing.
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