Two students were stabbed Monday on the Verdugo Hills High School campus in Tujunga.
Both students were hospitalized with injuries that were not believed to be life-threatening, and police detained a suspect, according to an update from the school district.
The stabbings took place around 1:45 p.m., said Tony Im, public information officer for the Los Angeles Police Department.
Im said at least four people were involved in the attack on the two students and that they fled the area in a car after the violence. The officer confirmed that two students were taken to a hospital for treatment, although he had no information about their conditions.
A 17-year-old boy suffered stab wounds or lacerations to his head, shoulder and back, said a school district source with knowledge of the incident who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to release information. The second student was injured after intervening to help the first, the source added.
One of the attackers, possibly the one wielding the knife, is 14 years old, the source reported.
There is concern that the incident is gang-related, the source said.
The school district declined to confirm or deny the additional information.
Earlier in the school year, a shooting left a 17-year-old boy injured outside Granada Hills Charter High School, a public school that is within the territory of Los Angeles Unified but is not managed by the district.
And, during the first week of school, a student was stabbed on the campus of Franklin High School in Highland Park. The young men who were shot and stabbed required hospitalization, but their injuries were not considered life-threatening.
There have also been several incidents where loaded and unloaded weapons have been found in the possession of students.
In Verdugo Hills, the first notification to parents about Monday's stabbing went out at 2:24 p.m.
“An incident is occurring on our campus that has required our school to go into a 'lockdown' at 2:08 pm,” the alert said.
During a lockdown, all school gates and doors are locked and students must remain in a safe, supervised space, such as a classroom.
The next notice had the date and time of 3:07 p.m.
“Our school remains closed at this time,” the update said. “We implemented lockdown procedures in response to an incident of violence among our students at 2:00 p.m. Students remain safe and parents of students involved in the incident have been contacted.”
The usual school dismissal time is 3:36 p.m.
A third notice went out at 3:50 p.m.
“Our campus closure has been lifted and our school remains open and safe for instruction.” The Los Angeles School Police have “indicated that the police activity has concluded and a suspect has been detained.”
The alert also included general information about the victims: “Two students were injured but received immediate medical attention from officers and emergency medical personnel at the scene. “The victims were later transported to a local hospital for further treatment.”
Per standard procedure, the district will deploy mental health workers to campus, as well as additional school police patrols and officers on campus “for the remainder of the week,” according to the update.
