The 17-year-old student responsible for causing administrators to put Austin High School in lockdown Friday afternoon allegedly said he wasn’t serious when he told classmates that he planned to bring a gun to school, Austin Police Chief Paul Philipp said today.

Philipp said administratiors received a report that a student threatened to return to school with a gun, and responded by locking down the school around 12:16 p.m.

The student was allegedly gone for a doctor’s appointment when police arrived, according to the chief, though he was found a short time later on the east side of the school following his appointment. He was unarmed and arrested without incident.

Philipp said the young man told police that he’d made comments about the gun in jest.

According to Mower County Attorney Kristen Nelsen, her office is reviewing the case file for potential charges.