A teenage student accused of stabbing another student multiple times inside a Chester County school has been charged with attempted murder, officials said.
The 16-year-old was involved in a fight with the other student inside a bathroom at Coatesville Area Senior High School in Caln Township on Tuesday, according to investigators.
The suspect was charged as an adult with attempted murder, aggravated assault, terroristic threats and other weapons-related offenses, according to prosecutors. The teen, whose name NBC10 is withholding because he is a minor, is being held at the Chester County Youth Center in lieu of $750,000 bail.
Just before 7:30 Tuesday morning, police were called to Coatesville Area High School for a report of a stabbing in the second-floor bathroom. Prosecutors said responding officers discovered the victim, also 16, stabbed in the neck, shoulder, armpit, and lower back.
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The suspect ran out of the school, but eventually turned himself in to police, prosecutors said.
The injured student was taken to Paoli Hospital, where he is listed in stable condition.
A witness told investigators that the victim thought the teen had stolen his vape cartridge and wanted to fight him, the criminal complaint said. The teen and the victim met in the bathroom to fight, but a teacher came in and dispersed the kids, the witness told investigators.
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Detectives said the witness told them the group of students moved to another bathroom where the two boys began to fight in a stall.
According to prosecutors, a second witness said he saw the teen victim bleeding near his neck and heard him say, "Bro, he stabbed me."
First responders found a large amount of blood in the bathroom, court documents said, and a witness said the suspect's hand was bleeding.
The District Attorney's Office also said a knife covered in blood was located in the school.
A video of the fight was posted on social media, officials said, and the suspect is seen stabbing the victim multiple times with an item gripped in his hand.
Students at the school were dismissed from classes early after the stabbing.
"Yesterday was a horrific day for school students and their families," District Attorney Deborah Ryan said. "This must end. And it must end now. Parents should never have to worry when they send their children to school. Children should feel safe and protected while inside school walls."
