A 17-year-old student from Forest Hills High School was arrested and charged with a felony after he was caught waving a loaded gun on Instagram in a threatening manner, according to officials.
The Post obtained a video that shows the teenager handling a firearm, an ammo clip, and bullets. In the video, the teen can be seen gyrating and waving the gun while rapping along to the lyrics, “Bow, bow. Somebody gotta go down.”
Parents were alerted by their children after they saw the video, which was shared on January 7th, and then promptly informed the school.
The NYPD’s 112th Precinct proudly announced on their Facebook page the apprehension of “an individual” who was found with both an illegal firearm and an imitation gun.
The suspect’s name has not been disclosed by the NYPD, however, the Queens District Attorney’s Office has identified him as Moshe Khaimov. He is referred to as the “adolescent offender,” a term used for individuals between the ages of 16 and 17 who are accused of committing a violent felony and whose cases are made public.
According to a criminal complaint, Khaimov is facing charges for the possession of a loaded weapon, which is considered a serious felony offense.
He is facing charges for possessing a “large capacity ammunition feeding device” and a counterfeit firearm that closely resembles a real pistol or revolver.
During their search of Khaimov’s bedroom, the police discovered a loaded 9mm semi-automatic pistol. They also found two rounds of ammunition, as well as an additional five rounds of 9mm ammunition. Furthermore, a magazine with the capability to hold 15 rounds was also seized.
The Post’s call for comment was not returned by Khaimov’s lawyer at Queens Defenders.
The NYPD decided to bring metal detectors to Forest Hills the day after Khaimov’s arrest in order to conduct thorough searches of all students. It is worth mentioning that the high school typically does not utilize such scanning equipment.
In an email sent to Principal Paul Wilbur, Forest Hills teacher Adam Bergstein expressed concerns about Khaimov, stating that he poses a significant threat to the safety of both students and staff. Bergstein detailed instances where Khaimov has physically harmed and threatened individuals, as well as instances where he has been found in possession of other weapons on school grounds.
Bergstein criticized the city Department of Education for having a lenient discipline system.
“Schools are in a constant state of danger because the DOE refuses to hold students accountable for their behavior until it’s sometimes too late,” Bergstein told The Post.
“They rely on restorative justice circles instead of punishing a child when they are dangerous and clearly pose a risk to everyone in a school.”
DOE officials declined to disclose whether Khaimov had been suspended. However, in an email sent to Bergstein and other staff members, the principal stated that they were taking steps to ensure that the disciplinary action taken would be commensurate with the seriousness of the situation.
