Juvenile Suspect Jailed In Fatal Stabbing Of Teen In North County

OCEANSIDE, CA — An underage suspect was in custody Thursday on suspicion of fatally stabbing a teenage boy this week in Oceanside.

The alleged assailant was arrested Wednesday, said Jennifer Atenza, spokeswoman for the Oceanside Police Department. His name was withheld because he is a minor. Atenza said she could not provide his age.

The suspect allegedly stabbed 16-year-old Justin Ferguson of Oceanside in the chest shortly before 5 p.m. Tuesday in a parking lot at Martin Luther King Jr. Park on Mesa Drive.

Following the assault, an acquaintance drove the victim away from the park, then pulled over a few blocks to the west. From there, paramedics took the boy to Tri-City Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead late in the evening.

The circumstances that led to the stabbing remained unclear Thursday.

— City News Service