A 16-year-old girl was allegedly stabbed multiple times in the face with a pocket knife by a fellow student at her California high school. The suspect, a 17-year-old boy, is facing attempted murder charges.

The stabbing incident unfolded in the courtyard of the Salinas High School on Thursday afternoon. The 16-year-old sustained multiple stab wounds to her upper torso area and was rushed to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, reported CBS News.

Dan Burns, the Superintendent for the Salinas Union High School District, said an altercation took place between the teenage boy and girl before he stabbed her.

The boy allegedly used a 2-3 inch pocket knife. He was detained and taken to the Monterey County Juvenile Hall on attempted murder charges, according to KSBW TV Action News 8.

"On May 25, 2023, at 1:21 PM, Officers responded to Salinas High School on a report of a stabbing victim. On arrival, Officers located a 16-year-old female student suffering from multiple stab wounds to her upper torso area," the Salinas Police Department wrote on Facebook. "The suspect, a 17-year-old male student, was detained by Probation Officers. The weapon was a 2-3" pocket knife."

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Parents were informed and the school was placed under lockdown following the incident.

"Our first concern is for the safety and well-being of our students, staff, families, and those who were impacted by this terrible event," the Salinas Union High School District wrote in a statement.

"School counselors, social workers, behavior specialists and administrators are available to support students and parents as needed. Salinas High School staff stand ready to provide resources to help students and staff who need additional resources to process this incident," the statement continued. "This is a time of year where families are celebrating promotion to high school and graduation. This is obviously not the expected behavior and we will work through the investigations with the law enforcement agencies."

Representational image (School classroom)
Representational image (Source: Pixabay / DeltaWorks)
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