A 15-year-old Hollywood High School student was seriously injured Monday in an on-campus stabbing and a 17-year-old student has been arrested in the attack, officials told The Times.
According to law enforcement sources, the injured student, a boy, suffered a life-threatening stab wound and required emergency surgery. Another student, whose name was not released because she is a minor, was arrested Wednesday and charged with attempted murder, the Los Angeles Police Department said.
The school district provided little information about the stabbing, including the nature of the injuries, citing privacy and restrictions in reporting incidents involving minors. But details have emerged based on what students have told their parents and from law enforcement sources who are not authorized to speak on the matter.
The assailant allegedly plunged a knife into the middle of the boy’s back, sources said. The injured student was rushed to the hospital.
The incident was investigated both by Los Angeles School Police and the LAPD. The LAPD confirmed the age and gender of the victim and the alleged attacker.
L.A. Unified does not routinely acknowledge arrests, violence or vandalism at schools, although there are exceptions, such as in a recent case of vandalism. In recent years, the district has generally sent out alerts with varying degrees of information to parents — and the district will provide these specific alerts to the public if requested.
The stabbing took place at about 2 p.m., according to police records.
At 3:25 p.m., the district sent out this message to the school community:
“Good afternoon. This is Hollywood High School Principal with an important message for parents and guardians. The safety and well-being of our students and staff remain my top priority. I am calling to advise you that our campus is on lockdown because of a physical altercation between two students involving a weapon. One student was in need of medical attention, and their parents have been notified. School Police are on campus assisting with an investigation. We are following district protocols, and all students and staff are safe. We will provide you with updates as they become available. Thank you.”
A follow-up message at 4:16 p.m. alerted parents that the campus was no longer on lockdown and that “out of an abundance of caution, school authorities will also be providing additional patrols around our school campus.”
Parents reported seeing two school police patrol cars in the area the next morning.
The district will typically not release what an investigation has uncovered.
Although this incident involved a knife, school administrators have told The Times that 14 guns were seized on campuses since the start of the school year through November.
The school district declined to confirm that figure, but has acknowledged a steep rise in fights, weapons seizures and the use of illegal or controlled substances.
Administrators cited security issues as well as the removal of school police from campus as among the factors that prompted them recently to vote to join the Teamsters union.
Senior officials hope a soon-to-begin ban on cellphones will tamp down violence and bullying, although some worry that students will lose a valuable tool for documenting problems on campuses.
The Monday incident is thought to have been prompted by a personal dispute and was not gang-related, sources said. The latter possibility had been a worry of parents who spoke to The Times.
Parents said they were concerned that the stabbing might have been related to an alleged incident in December. Parents said they’d learned that shortly before winter break, youths from another school jumped the fence and became involved in a fight in a bathroom. The parents said the district has refused to answer questions about that earlier alleged occurrence. The district also did not answer questions from The Times about it.
