A 17-year-old student was taken into custody after falsely reporting that someone had a gun at Rivera Early College High School in Brownsville, district officials said.

The false report caused a lockdown that lasted several hours. Law enforcement surrounded the building as dozens of parents rushed to the campus and lined the streets to wait outside for hours to pick up their children.

"I noticed the lights and all the commotion of the law enforcement coming this way," parent Alexy Gallegos said.

Her 14-year-old son, Christopher, was inside during the lockdown.

"I didn't know what was going on. All I heard was that someone brought a gun," Christopher Esquivel said.

No weapon was found at the campus, the district said.

READ MORE: Student arrested after lying about gun on campus at Rivera Early College High School, district says

Parents said they felt left in the dark during the incident. Brownsville ISD Police Chief Anna Gaucin said limited information was released to protect the investigation.

"I understand their concerns, and I understand they want to be with their child, but we do our very best to reunify them as quickly as possible," Gaucin said.

The district said students and staff were safe at all times.

"We had a lot of anxiety… as soon as they released him, I grabbed onto him so hard," Gallegos said.

Parent Frank Ledesma described the experience as frightening.

"I got scared for a bit there. Just worried and anguished," Ledesma said.

Student Gilberto Cantu said he heard banging in the office during the lockdown.

"I heard banging in the office, and we were scared, and we got in a small room," Cantu said.

Students were taking the STAAR test before the lockdown. The district will notify families of the new testing date.

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