A teenager was stabbed and critically injured Wednesday at West Potomac High School in Fairfax County, Virginia, and another teen is in police custody, police said.
The 16-year-old boy was stabbed when he and two other students got into a fight in the school, Fairfax County police said. Medics took the teen to a hospital with life-threatening injuries, police said. He is now stable.
Officers took a 15-year-old boy into custody and he will be charged with malicious wounding, police said in a news conference.
Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis said investigators were still 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.
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.
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.
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“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.
Fairfax County Public Schools said the building is not on lockdown, but no one is allowed to leave or enter.
A swarm of police cars and an ambulance were seen outside the school.
Shaken parents rushed to the school to pick up their children.
Joanne Boice said her son witnessed the stabbing.
“He just said he was walking down the hall, a kid got stabbed by two boys. 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.
Some parents also expressed frustration with cellphone policies that may have prevented their students from contacting them. Administrators say it’s important for students to focus and listen to directions in emergencies instead of using their phones.
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