Fifth-Grader Accused Of Stabbing Classmate At School In Boyle Heights
BOYLE HEIGHTS (CBSLA.com) — A fifth-grader Thursday night was hospitalized after being stabbed at a school in Boyle Heights.
The attack happened at Bridge Street Elementary School earlier in the day. Joe Flores lives across from the school and saw the commotion.
"And I seen ... police escorting a little kid out in handcuffs and I thought that was kind of strange," said Flores.
Flores shared a letter that was sent home to parents after police with the Los Angeles Unified School District confirmed that a fifth grader was accused of stabbing another fifth grader with a pocketknife.
"He wasn't crying. He had his hands behind his back, and he just had his head down but he didn't seem like he was crying or in distress or nothing," said Flores. "They escorted him into the car. There was like four or three policemen that they were questioning him."
Investigators have not disclosed exactly where the stabbing happened on campus, but parents who live nearby were stunned.
"I was shocked," said Mario Tovar, a neighbor. "You know, a fifth-grader, such a young age to do something so horrible."
Tovar pulled his two kids out of Bridge Street Elementary two years ago over safety concerns. He now drives them to a private school in Pasadena.
"You get a lot of gangs and stuff, so I guess sometimes the young kids get influenced by the big kids," he said.
Police have not disclosed what prompted the stabbing. They have not released the names of either of the boys because they are minors.
The boy who was stabbed was transported to a hospital. His current condition was unknown.
It also remains unclear what charges, if any, the other boy could be brought.