Teen's mom speaks out after stabbing at North Miami Beach High School
MIAMI - A North Miami Beach Senior High School student accused of stabbing a classmate during a fight Thursday has been taken into custody.
Police say the 16-year-old turned himself in. He's been charged with attempted murder, aggravated battery, and having a weapon on school property. He is also charged with disrupting an educational institution.
CBS News Miami's Peter D'Oench discovered there were some dramatic developments in court Friday morning in a hearing at the Miami-Dade Children's Courthouse where the suspect's mother spoke in front of Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Yery Marrero.
The mother, who we are not naming because we are not identifying the juvenile suspect, told the judge her son had been bullied at North Miami Beach Senior High School and had wanted to leave the school.
She shed tears as she said, "I am in court to say that my son has been bullied in school during a fight he received multiple kicks this week. He tried to hide this from me. I don't know what happened during the fight but I do know there was a lot of bullying. I told him I know you don't like the school but I said you have to hold it together and avoid the drama. I feel so bad. He told me he wanted to leave the school in January."
She also said, "He's a really good child. He didn't have any problems and no arguments at home. He is not a violent kid and he never got arrested."
Marrero said, "With all the bullying that may happen, that's not enough to stab someone on school grounds let alone anywhere."
She ordered the teen to be held in secure detention pending another hearing on February 16th and she said the state had announced its intention to determine if the suspect would be charged as an adult in this case.
According to a police report, the suspect turned himself in at 11:44 p.m. Thursday night, at North Miami Beach police headquarters, saying he had done something wrong at school.
He also did not reveal where the knife was. The report said he had brought a steak knife with a black handle to school and did not say where that knife is.
D'Oench also spoke with the mother of the victim. She told him her son was 15 years old and even though his condition at the Ryder Trauma Center had stabilized, she said she was worried about him and was with him in his hospital room.
Some students opted not to go to school on Friday.
"I know a couple of my friends who didn't come today," said one student.
Unlike some of her friends, she did go back to school after the scare on Thursday.
"One of our friends came up to us and was like, somebody got stabbed, somebody was stabbed," she said.
The fight happened at around 12:30 p.m., during lunch at the school, located in the 1200 block of NE 167th Street.
According to police, the 16-year-old told them he and the other student had been involved in a fight. He said on Tuesday and Wednesday, he brought a steak knife from home with him to school.
The teen reportedly told police on Thursday when he saw his classmate standing by the bleachers near the baseball field the two got into a heated argument. He said he stabbed the other teen on the side with his knife and then ran away, according to police.
Paramedics airlifted the injured teen to Jackson Memorial Hospital where he was listed as stable.
Investigators say he and the attacker are not in the same grade but went to the same middle school in the past.
Authorities have not said what started their dispute.
When school leaders found out, the campus was put on lockdown, and parents got text alerts.
A senior at the school said, "I just seen a whole bunch of kids running around."
In the chaos that followed, the attacker slipped away, leaving parents begging for better security.
A student said, "I was in a blood drive. So, I didn't really hear too much. I just know that somebody got hurt."
As police investigated, school leaders slowly released students in groups.
"Thank god my daughter is okay. My son is fine," said parent Yajaira Rojas.
Another parent, Doris Reyes said, "It's terrible honestly. I'm very scared. They need more security at the school"
One block away, a JFK Middle School student sent her mom a string of texts: "We are in a lockdown," "Mom," "Someone got stabbed."
Some parents said their focus was on security.
"Definitely. It's scary and they need to have more security with everything," said Reyes. "Parents need to check the kids, what they bring, and what they take from home."
When the attack happened, there was a police officer on campus. That officer is at the school every day from the opening bell to dismissal.
Police call the attack isolated.
