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LAYTON — Police have a 16-year-old boy in custody for suspicion of stabbing a fellow student during a fight in Layton on Tuesday.
"It appears like a group of students from Layton High went across the street to Layton Commons Park, which is just west of the school, to sort out a disagreement the two of them had, and a fight ensued with a bunch of kids there but two kids in particular," Layton Police Lt. Travis Lyman said.
During the fight, one of the boys pulled a small knife out of his backpack and stabbed the boy he was fighting once in the chest area, Lyman said.
The boy who stabbed the other boy then ran away, according to the lieutenant. The boy who was stabbed was taken to McKay-Dee Hospital. Police told KSL-TV that the 15-year-old boy who was stabbed is in the hospital but his condition has stabilized and is expected to be OK.
Some students at the park told KSL-TV the weapon used in the stabbing may have been a screwdriver, but police didn't find anything when they searched the park. Police also said they had a warrant to search the apartment where the suspect lives, but haven't said if they found anything there.
"It definitely does escalate this situation," Lyman said. "We've seen this forever. High school kids tend to have these disagreements and sometimes it turns into a fistfight but this is definitely an escalation that we hate to see."
After the stabbing, Layton High School, Central Davis Junior High and Crestview Elementary were placed on lockout protocol for 30 to 40 minutes while police tried to figure out what was going on.
In a statement, Layton High School Principal Brock Jackman confirmed that two Layton students were involved, and said school counselors will be available on Wednesday for students who need additional support.
"We appreciate Layton City Police for their outstanding efforts to help us keep our school safe," Jackman said.
Police are still investigating what happened, and said that it may take some time because there were so many students involved in the fight at the park.
Contributing: Bridger Beal-Cvetko, Alex Cabrero
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