Atwater High student stabbed at school

A 16-year-old student with special needs was stabbed in the back Wednesday in a “deliberate attack” inside the Atwater High School cafeteria, but the motive for the sudden violence remains unclear, the Police Department said.

The attack was reported around 9:28 a.m. inside the school cafeteria on Fruitland Avenue, Atwater police Lt. Samuel Joseph said.

Joseph said investigators believe the violence may be gang-related and possible retaliation for a previous incident. He emphasized that the investigation is in its early stages and detectives are still developing information. Joseph declined to elaborate, saying remaining details were still under investigation.

Sgt. Dick Wisdom described the violence as “a deliberate attack.”

“We can’t say too much more about the motive. It’s still under investigation and we don’t want to jeopardize that part of the case,” Wisdom said.

Police said the suspect, a 15-year-old boy, approached the victim from behind and stabbed him multiple times without warning.

“He didn’t say a word to him or anything,” Wisdom said.

The student was stabbed in the back about four or five times and also suffered a hand injury. His wounds appeared “superficial” and are not believed to be life-threatening. He was flown to a Modesto hospital for treatment and later was released, police said.

The suspect fled after the attack and was chased down by school staff members, including at least one vice principal and a security officer. He was captured on Sowell Street and Fiesta Court, police said.

Wisdom said the suspect threw the knife as he was running, but it was found by Officer Ken Lee. Wisdom declined to comment on details of the knife.

There were no other injuries.

The suspect has been booked into the Merced County Juvenile Justice Complex on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, officers confirmed.

The victim is enrolled in the school’s Sierra program, according to Nathan Quevedo, a spokesman for the Merced County Office of Education. Counselors were on campus shortly after the attack to speak with students and staff who may have been witnesses or otherwise shaken up, he said.

“Student safety is of the utmost importance to MCOE and the (Merced) Union High School District,” he said. “This is not something that happens often at our campuses. So we take it very seriously.”

Ralph Calderon, assistant superintendent for human resources for the district, said the students were in the cafeteria for state testing. He said the district would not release the names of the school staff members who pursued the 15-year-old until after the police complete their investigation.

The school was not placed on lockdown. School officials notified parents of the incident through telephone calls, Quevedo said.

Police praised the staff’s handling of the situation.

“This all happened so quickly, the school didn’t have any time to go on lockdown,” Joseph said. “The school staff did a great job keeping the other students, staff and chasing this (suspect) down.”

Parents picking up their children shortly after the incident said they’re worried about the violence they see in Atwater.

Vanise Bettencourt, 33, of Atwater said she sent a text message to her freshman daughter after getting the phone call. She was at home with her 4-year-old son, so they rushed over to the campus.

She moved to Atwater six years ago, she said, from Modesto. “I’m reconsidering moving,” she said.

Isabelle Cortez, 14, a freshman, said she heard some students talking about a stabbing. “It sounded like a joke to them,” she said.

It wasn’t until she saw news reports that she realized there was an attack, she said, which made her feel uneasy.

Atwater resident Lolly Cortez, 66, Isabelle’s mother, said she’s worried about the violence in the city. “It used to be pretty safe. You never heard of anything like this when my other child came to school here,” she said.

Cortez said she “loves” Atwater High, but she’s worried about whether the campus is safe. “I think it’s a sign of times,” she said. “There’s just too much violence.”

This story was originally published April 13, 2016 at 9:45 AM with the headline "Atwater High student stabbed at school."