A loaded gun and stolen car were found on a Baltimore County High School campus this week, raising concerns about safety on school grounds.

While students were just starting the school day inside Milford Mill Academy on Wednesday, outside, officers quietly swarmed the property.

“In the middle of the field, right behind the football field,” authorities said over the scanners. “Where are you? We’re in the back parking lot of the school.”

According to police scanner traffic, the Regional Auto Theft Task Force spotted two juveniles in a stolen car sitting on school property. Around 10 a.m., they alerted school security and moved in for the arrest.

The Baltimore City Police Department confirmed a 14- and 16-year-old were apprehended. The 16-year-old was found with a loaded handgun in his backpack. A Baltimore County Public Schools spokesperson said both are Milford Mill students.

Following the arrest, both were driven to a Baltimore County precinct for charging, but according to County police, only the 16-year-old was taken into custody.

“It’s disheartening. It really is disheartening,” Baltimore County resident Kawan Glover said.

“For somebody 16 to have a handgun, that’s very disturbing to me and very unsettling,” Brenda Gray, another Baltimore County resident, said.

Area residents FOX45 spoke said they are fearful and frustrated with what critics are calling catch and release policies for young offenders.

“I don’t think the 14-year-old should have been released to his parents or any place,” Gray said. “That’s why it’s happening, because they are getting released. Every time you turn around, you hear about these young kids with the guns, but it’s not going to stop. If they’re not being held accountable, it’s not going to stop.”

“To hear this, I’m panicked because it could have gotten worse, somebody could have gotten shot,” Glover said.

Have a news tip? Contact Rebecca Pryor at rpryor@sbgtv.com.