YAZOO CITY (AP) — Yazoo County Sheriff Tommy Vaughan said there was plenty of drama in watching the school bus security tape of a 14-year-old girl pulling a handgun from her bag.

Vaughan said the girl boarded the bus Tuesday and walked better than halfway toward the back. He said she reached into a flower-print bag and pulled out a chrome-plated .380-caliber semiautomatic handgun and began shouting and threatening the other students.

‘‘She was using some hard words,’’ Vaughan said. ‘‘She was saying somebody on the bus was either messing with her or picking on her.’’

Vaughan said Yazoo County High School football player Kaleb Eulls approached the girl and tackled her. Vaughan said the students both went down, and a second later, Eulls’ right hand shot back into view holding the weapon.

‘‘If it hadn’t been for this star football player, things could have been different,’’ Vaughan said. ‘‘He didn’t go overboard, but he did exactly what it took to get her on the ground.’’

Eulls, a 6-foot 4-inch, 255-pound senior, said he was asleep when the girl boarded the bus. When she pulled out the gun, one of Eulls’ three younger sisters, who were among the 22 people on the bus, shook him awake, he said.

Eulls said he tried to get the girl’s attention.

‘‘I kept my distance for a second, she kind of glanced away or blinked and I got to her,’’ he told The Clarion-Ledger newspaper. ‘‘I just basically thought about all the lives that were in danger. It all happened in about five minutes. I’m thankful that it turned out the way it did.’’

Vaughan said the incident occurred in a rural part of the county that is miles from help. Many of the students were elementary age.

Vaughan said the girl was arrested on 22 counts of attempted aggravated assault, 22 counts of kidnapping and one count of possession of a firearm on school property. She was being held in the county juvenile facility. Her identity has not been released.

Vaughan said he wanted to know more about the gun, which he described as an inexpensive model prone to firing accidentally.

‘‘I’m interested in talking to her parents to find out where did she get this gun. If she got it from home, why was it not secured?’’ he said.