Multiple Stabbings Prompt High School Lockdown

LOS ANGELES, CA — At least three students at Van Nuys High School were injured in stabbings Wednesday, prompting authorities to lock down the school.

According to Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Alberto Carvalho three students were hospitalized following that fight and stabbing incident and a fourth student was injured but not taken to a hospital. Three students were detained in connection with the stabbings. Carvalho said nearly a dozen students may have been involved in the unrest. It was unclear what precipitated the fight in the campus quad.

According to the Los Angeles Fire Department, the patients were all teenage boys, with one in serious condition, one in moderate condition and the third in fair condition.

The school remained on lockdown as of 1 p.m., but school activities were expected to resume and dismissal will also be conducted normally, Carvalho added.

The violence broke out at about 10:55 a.m. in the 6500 block of Cedros Avenue, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Video from the scene showed one teenager on a stretcher.

Carvalho noted that under a policy approved by the LAUSD Board of Education roughly two years ago, no police officers are located on the district's school campuses during the day. But he said police responded to the Van Nuys High School campus within three minutes of the fight being reported, a response he called "very appropriate."

He said that despite the board policy against on-campus officers, there will be a police presence on the Van Nuys campus in response to the fight. It was unclear how long that presence will continue.

"Once you know better, you must do better," Carvalho said. "Since I arrived in Los Angeles, I have directed regional superintendents and the principals, if they know of, suspect of any information that would put them in the position of feeling that the presence of a police officer ... to ensure safety and security of the school would be appropriate, they can request the presence of (police). As of today, Van Nuys will have the presence of an officer within its school facilities."

He urged anyone who might suspect there is a potential threat to campus safety to come forward.

"This is the type of incident that is difficult to anticipate, and we have to rely on what people know and can convey to us," Carvalho said. "These don't necessarily happen spontaneously. So we continue to urge parents or students to tell us about what they know so we can prevent these types of incidents from occurring."

According to Carvalho, there are 2,200 students at Van Nuys High School. The campus also houses a continuation school with another 200 students.

He said counselors were brought to the campus to provide support to students and staff, and counseling will also be offered to the families of students who were involved in the fight.

City News Service and Patch Staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report.