NEW YORK — A Long Island high school student has been arrested after he allegedly stabbed a classmate during a fight in the hallway, and the violence forced the school to close midday.
The 12-year-old pulled out a knife and stabbed a 13-year-old boy in the upper leg during a fight inside Lindenhurst High School on Monday, Suffolk County Police confirmed. The injured student was quickly airlifted to Stony Brook University Hospital, while the alleged attacker was arrested.
The stab wound was so severe that a school official and a police officer had to apply tourniquets to stop the bleeding, Assistant Inspector Sean Beran said. The victim was listed in critical but stable condition.
The police have not yet specified what could have started the fight. The knife that was allegedly used was about six inches long. We don’t know how he got to school.
Anxious parents used their mobile phones after rushing to school as their children were still inside the building, locked in their classrooms.
“He was able to tell me there was blood everywhere and that’s it,” said a father who spoke to his 13-year-old son about what happened. “You send your kids to school thinking they’re going to have a good day and then it happens.”
Many students were escorted out by their relieved parents after the lockdown was lifted by about an hour.
As for the students, they left after witnessing an incident which they described as quite frightening.
“They were fighting, screaming, but no one thought I would pull out a knife,” student Andy Garcia said.
In a statement, the Lindenhurst school superintendent said “safety is a top priority” at the school. But the parents added that the school had a problem with bullying and harassment on social media.
It was unclear if these things had anything to do with Monday’s incident.