7th grader in custody after allegedly stabbing teen classmate at San Jose middle school

SAN JOSE -- Police in San Jose said they have a student in custody Wednesday after a stabbing at Sunrise Middle School left a 15-year-old student with a non-life-threatening injury, according to authorities.

According to police, they received the call shortly after 12 p.m. Wednesday. Units responded to the charter school on the 1100 block of East Julian Street and are currently investigating the incident.

Police did not say if the student who was stabbed required hospitalization for treatment of his injuries or what circumstances led up to the stabbing.

The SJPD media relations Twitter account also posted about the stabbing.

The student in custody has not been identified. Police later confirmed the suspect would be booked into juvenile hall on a charge of assault with a deadly weapon. Officers could be seen taking bags of evidence from the school.

Some students were visibly upset as they emerged from class later Wednesday after the stabbing.

"Sadly, there was a very unfortunate situation at our school today. Two seventh graders. One stabbed the other right inside the classroom," said Sunrise Middle School Director Theresa Robinson as school administrators addressed the incident.

Robinson said the victim was in stable condition.

Neither Robinson nor the police would say what the nature of the fight between the students was that led up to the stabbing.

Students told KPIX the school does not have security guards or metal detectors at the entrance.

"It makes you feel a little worried, I guess," said Sunrise sixth grader Isaac Mendoza. He said the stabbing happened in a classroom a few doors down from his own. He spoke to his panicked parents on the phone after the incident.

"They were worried about me. They were like, 'Are you OK?' and stuff. That's it," he said.

 The charter school was founded in 2011. The principal said the school is dedicated to high academic standards, but also prides itself on its motto of "choosing kindness," a standard from which the institution went horribly awry Wednesday.

"This is a shock. We've never had anything remotely close to this happening. We will have counseling support for the students tomorrow," said Robinson.

The school will reopen at 8 a.m. Thursday morning. Robinson said the school has scheduled a community meeting for students, staff and parents at the school Thursday night at 6 p.m. to address the stabbing.  

The incident comes in the wake of a fatal stabbing at Montgomery High School in Santa Rosa and a rash of teenagers being arrested in the North Bay for bringing knives onto campus. There have been four such arrests in Santa Rosa just since last Friday. 

Two students were sent home when they were caught with knives on the Montgomery High campus Friday afternoon. When a parent called and informed authorities of the incident after being notified by school administrators, police investigated the incident and arrested the students, a 15-year-old and a 17-year-old. On Monday, two students from two different Santa Rosa schools were also arrested for bringing knives to campus.  

Devin Fehely contributed to this story.

In:
• San Jose Police Department
• San Jose
• Stabbing
• Crime