A 16-year-old boy was seriously hurt when another student stabbed him during a fight Wednesday at a Northern Virginia high school, police said.
Fairfax County police said a 15-year-old boy stabbed the 16-year-old student about 9:40 a.m. at West Potomac High School in Belle Haven.
Disturbing videos and images circulating among students showed students fighting in a hallway. Another image showed students and adults standing around a teen bleeding on the floor.
Medics took the teen to a hospital with life-threatening injuries, police said. He is now stable.
The 15-year-old suspect will be charged with malicious wounding, police said in a news conference.
Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis said investigators were questioning the third student involved in the fight.
“A third person who we are questioning, we are not describing him as a person in custody because, at the moment, we don’t anticipate any criminal charges on this third person,” Davis said.
West Potomac High School, which is located off Quander Road in the Belle Haven area, said the incident was isolated and there’s no current threat to the school.
A swarm of police cars and an ambulance were seen outside the school.
‘Mom, please come get me’
Shaken parents rushed to the school to pick up their children, but couldn’t because the school was in a “Stay Put, Stay Tuned” safety protocol.
Fairfax County Public Schools said the building was not on lockdown, but no one was allowed to leave or enter.
“West Potomac High School is currently in a Stay Put, Stay Tuned safety protocol following an isolated incident at the school that has been contained. We will provide additional information in the next 30 minutes but there is no current threat to the school,” the school’s parent-teacher association said in a message on social media.
Frustrated parents shouted at Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Michelle Reid during a news conference in the afternoon about the protocol.
“Why can’t I check my daughter out? That’s all I care about,” father Bill Beal asked Reid.
Reid replied that school security and police were still securing the school.
“They’re also making sure the four lunch periods happen in a calm, orderly and safe manner,” Reid said.
“I don’t care about lunch right now!” Beal can be heard yelling in response.
“Are they safe in school? They’re not! And then I get this second video with the kid on the floor,” mother Aellene Hernandez told reporters outside the school.
“I’m mortified. I just need to see her and take her home,” said Cheryl Brewer, whose granddaughter witnessed the stabbing.
Joanne Boice said her son also saw the stabbing.
“He was really shaken up, and he’s like, ‘Please come and get me,’” Boice said. “He’s not one to get spooked easily, so to hear, you know, ‘Mom, please come get me. I’m a mess.’ … I work in Maryland, 45 minutes away. I jumped in the car, and I got here in about 30 minutes.”
Some parents were upset and said it took Fairfax County Public Schools about 30 minutes to notify them about what happened. Officials said they needed to secure the school before informing parents.
Later in the afternoon, parents were allowed to check their students out a little bit earlier than usual dismissal time.
Some parents also expressed frustration with cellphone policies that may have prevented their students from contacting them. Administrators said it’s important for students to focus and listen to directions in emergencies instead of using their phones.
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