Berkeley Student Stabbed In Fight Thursday

BERKELEY, CA — One high school student was hospitalized with stab wounds and another student was arrested after they got into a fight at the Martin Luther King Jr. Civic Center Park in Berkeley shortly before 10 a.m. today, Berkeley school officials said in a statement.

In a somewhat conflicting statement, Berkeley police said a 17-year-old was stabbed and two 16-year-olds were arrested but didn't identify them as students.

The school district said administrators and safety staff from Berkeley High School, which is across the street from the park, responded to the fight, which it said involved one student from the Berkeley Independent
Study program and one from the Berkeley Technology Academy.

Berkeley police spokesman Officer Byron White said the Police Department's school resource officer called for emergency cover at about 9:53 a.m. to assist him when he learned of a large fight at Civic Center Park.

White said, "Officers found an agitated crowd of people in the area of an apparent fight and learned a female teenage juvenile, age 17, had been stabbed in the torso" so officers immediately called for medical
assistance.

White said officers found a second female juvenile, age 16, "who had been sprayed by an unknown assailant with a chemical irritant-possibly pepper spray."

White said investigators later determined that the 16-ear-old juvenile who had been sprayed was responsible for stabbing the 17-year-old and she was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon.

White said there was "a chaotic environment with multiple confrontations" and an officer who was kneeling down and attending to the juvenile who had been pepper-sprayed was approached by a third female juvenile, age 16, who yelled at him.

White said the officer directed the third juvenile to stay back but ultimately a second officer had to come to the aid of the first officer "and ended up taking the interfering, non-compliant juvenile into custody."

He said that juvenile was arrested on suspicion of obstructing a police officer and later was released to her parents.

White said the 17-year-old girl who was stabbed was transported to a hospital with injuries that are not believed to be life-threatening.

School district officials said they will share additional details about the fight later on if they deem them to be relevant or appropriate following a complete investigation of the incident.

The officials said, "As always, campus safety and student safety will remain our priority."

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— Bay City News; Image via Shutterstock