Police: Middle-schooler falsely reported being stabbed

ESCONDIDO

An Escondido middle school student falsely reported that he had been stabbed by a high school boy near the campus about two weeks ago, police said Tuesday.

Instead, the boy was injured while he and a friend were playing with a knife, Escondido police Lt. Suzanne Baeder said.

The incident on May 12 prompted a lockdown at Mission Middle School as police officers searched for an assailant based on a description provided by the 13-year-old boy.

Police now believe there was no assailant. “The 13-year-old and a friend were ‘horsing around’ when he was unintentionally cut by a knife the friend was carrying,” Baeder said in a news release. “The 13-year-old then went to the school and told staff the false story, so as not to get himself or his friend in trouble.”

Police said the boy initially reported being stabbed just before 2 p.m. about a block and a half from the school.

Baeder said detectives are evaluating whether to recommend charges, such as filing a false police report, for anyone involved.