A student at South East High School in South Gate is in critical condition after a boy stabbed her during lunch break today.Three people who stepped in to rescue the girl, including a school dean and a campus police officer, were also injured. None of them was injured as seriously as the girl. The boy is in the custody of police.
The stabbing attack happened today after 11 a.m. and the school was temporarily locked down until 1 p.m., according to KCAL. Classes continued after the stabbing, according to Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent John Deasy, who was at the scene.
Officials don't know what prompted the stabbing attack, but the Los Angeles Times spoke with a freshman student Giselle Noriega, who witnessed the attack:
The girl asked a teacher for help, and the boy grabbed the girl in a headlock and began punching her, said 14-year-old Giselle. They fell to the ground and the teacher attempted to separate them.
"He was on top of her. It looked like he was shanking her or punching her," Giselle said.
As havoc erupted, a football player ran to help the teacher break up the fight, Giselle said.
"The guy stabbed the football player in the arm," she said. "A lot of people were trying to separate the fight."
Welcome to high school, Giselle.
