Springfield High School heightened security Friday morning when police spotted and detained a 17-year-old robbery suspect in the area, according to the Springfield City School District.

The suspect was a student who was going back to school, according to Clark County Sheriff Gene Kelly.

The teenager is accused of robbing a Radio Shack around 11 a.m. inside the Upper Valley Mall. German Twp. police said the teen walked into the Radioshack and passed a note to an employee that demanded money. He allegedly showed a handgun in his waistband and made off with an undetermined amount of cash.

Kelly said the suspect’s vehicle was located in the high school parking lot by an off-duty deputy monitoring scanner traffic.

The suspect was seen crossing school property, academy principal Kirk Koennecke wrote in an email. Springfield High’s school resource officers helped their colleagues in arresting the suspect at the north end of the property.

School staff asked teachers to follow a “lock out” procedure and close their doors but to continue teaching during the incident, district spokeswoman Kim Fish said.

A lock out is when officials verify that all doors to the building are locked. No one is permitted to enter or leave the building while the lock out is in effect.

This is different than a lockdown, when students are not permitted to leave classrooms.

“We have several steps of security,” said district spokeswoman Kim Fish. “(This) is just a different procedure.

“Students are generally unaware of this,” she added. “Students in class were not affected.”

Scanner traffic indicted the suspect had a gun in the car, but school officials couldn’t confirm that information.

The 17-year-old is now being questioned by sheriff’s deputies and German Twp. police.

According to German Twp. Police Chief Michael Stitzel, the teenager not only confessed to robbing the Radio Shack but also another store inside the mall on Jan. 18. He faces two counts of aggravated robbery.

The gun used in Friday’s robbery was later determined to be a BB gun.

Springfield City Schools Superintendent Dr. David Estrop said the district will cooperate with authorities during their invesitgation. The district will also investigate and its response could range from a suspension of up to 10 days to an expulsion of up to one year.

“It depends on what we uncover,” Estrop said.