A student armed with a knife confronted another student at Westchester Enriched Sciences Magnets high school and WISH Academy charter school in Los Angeles around 12:30 p.m. on Monday. Footage captured a teen boy entering the quad area with a large knife. Following a confrontation, the armed student punched the other boy and chased him, prompting several students to flee the scene.
Student Kaylin Lewis described the situation, stating, "It was a big knife. When the knife was pulled out, I just ran away. The whole thing was surreal." Another student, Kaylani Bates, mentioned, "We heard it was rivalry gangs, but we’re not really sure what happened. There were a lot of people chasing him."
In response to the incident, a shelter-in-place order was issued. The Los Angeles School Police Department quickly arrived and took one student into custody. Parents expressed concern over the timing of notifications regarding the incident, with one parent stating that a child was potentially locked in a hallway during the lockdown.
The boy who was attacked sustained a minor cut. The Los Angeles Unified School District confirmed that students and staff are safe, and there is no ongoing threat to the campus. Instruction has resumed as normal. The district added that the Los Angeles School Police Department will increase patrols around the campus and emphasized their commitment to student safety.