Teenage Boy Stabbed Outside High School In La Puente
LA PUENTE (CBSLA.com) — Two teenage boys were reportedly fighting on a high school campus when one of them stabbed the other in the face and fled, officials reported.
The stabbing occurred about 3 p.m. on the Bassett High School campus, located at 755 Ardilla Avenue, according to sheriff's deputies and school district officials.
Luis Prado, a student at Bassett, said he was standing outside the school's dismissal gate just after 3 p.m. when his friend was slashed in the face.
"I'm standing there next to those bushes and I just see him coming, hand on his face, blood all over the place dripping. Everyone was screaming, 'Oh my God, he's been stabbed,'" Prado said.
The boy was stabbed three times, according to an emergency dispatcher. He was taken to County-USC Medical Center for treatment and his wounds were not considered life-threatening.
"He had his hand pressed against his face. You could tell he was in pain," Prado said.
Prado and other students identified the victim as 16-year-old Giovanni Renteria.
LAUSD superintendent Martin Galindo said the fight may have started with a verbal argument Tuesday and carried over to a physical altercation Wednesday afternoon.
"They got into it. They started fighting. Unfortunately, one student pulled a knife and stabbed the other student in the cheek," Galindo said.
The district said extra staff members will be on campus Thursday but no changes will be made to security procedures.
"I'll be here, along with a number of other assistant superintendents from my district, just to provide comfort to our students," Galindo said.
Police reported that they arrested a 16-year-old boy in connection with the stabbing. They did not release his name because he's a minor.
