Elementary student stabs classmate

Suspect, victim both 12 years old; incident happened early morning

One student was stabbed by another student at Pico Canyon Elementary School and taken to the hospital Friday morning.

The suspected assailant is in custody. Both students are 12 years old.

“We had a stabbing. It was student on student,” Lt. Ignacio Somoano of the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station told The Signal.

“The one student was treated and taken to the hospital with non life-threatening injuries. The other student is in custody,” he said.

Shortly before 8:10 a.m., paramedics with the Los Angeles County Fire Department responded to the school on West Pico Canyon Road for report of a stabbing victim, Los Angeles County Fire Department spokeswoman Vanessa Lozano told The Signal.

When they arrived at 8:16 a.m., they had to wait for deputies of the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s

Station to confirm it was safe to proceed to the patient.

Paramedics found the patient, believed to be a student, in the school’s health office. The other student was reportedly in the principal’s office.

The victim had reportedly been stabbed in the back.

Newhall School District Superintendent Paul Cordeiro issued a formal statement in response to the incident, stating in part:

“Our immediate goal is to support our students and their families.

“We have counselors and psychologists on site. Further, we are in direct communication with parents to assure them that we are following up in every possible way.

“As always, our top priority is the safety of all students and adults on campus.”