Key Takeaways:
– A teenager who was accused of stabbing two students at a high school in Queens has had the charges dropped after a social media video supported his self-defense claim.
– The two stabbed students, aged 17, are now charged with gang assault. One of them has been investigated before in connection to two shootings, including one resulting in murder.
– A Smith & Wesson 9mm pistol was found in one of the charged boys’ jacket, leading to additional charges of gun possession.
– The 16-year-old boy, initially identified as the stabber, suffered minor injuries and showed evidence of a group attack in his defense.
Social Media Video Aids in Case Dismissal
In an unexpected twist, a teenage boy initially charged for stabbing two students at Martin Van Buren High School in Queens will not be prosecuted, as reported by police sources on Friday. The sudden change in course has come after a social media video supporting the boy’s claim of self-defense emerged.
Stabbed Students Face Gang Assault Charges
Following the incident on Thursday, the two 17-year-old students who were stabbed are now faced with gang assault charges. One of the charged students was previously linked to two incidents of shootings, including a murder case, whilst another student, who also got stabbed was charged with possession of a Smith & Wesson 9 mm pistol allegedly found in his coat pocket.
Scene of the Incident Explained
According to a witness, the stabbing took place at Martin Van Buren High School located in Queens Village, around 1:20 p.m. last Thursday, subsequent to a brawl that broke out in a stairwell between the first and second floors.
Witness Details Event
“I was trying to walk my girlfriend to her class and as we got to the staircase we saw them get in an altercation,” relayed a 14-year-old student. As per his account, the situation became severe when one of the boys, losing the fight, brandished a knife and stabbed the others.
Initial Response and Findings
Medics immediately transferred both stabbed teenagers to Long Island Jewish Cohen’s Hospital. One had sustained wounds to his upper body, while the other suffered two stab wounds to his back and a wound to his shoulder. Amidst the chaos, as school safety agents were attending to the victims, one of them discovered a gun in the pocket of a coat, which belonged to the teen who had back and shoulder wounds.
Knifed Teen Proves Self-defense
NYPD officers upon arriving arrested the 16-year-old boy who was initially identified as the stabber. Under the supervision of his mother at the 105th precinct, the teenager claimed that the act had been in self-defence and identified the stabbed teenagers as part of a larger group that attacked him. To support his case, he pointed authorities to a video on social media depicting the attack.
Charges on 16-year-old Dropped
Following the boy’s claims, the Queens District Attorney’s Office recommended that his arrest be voided. Despite the beatdown, the boy suffered minor injuries and did not require medical attention.
Stabbed Teen’s Troubled Past
Interestingly enough, sources relay that the teen found in possession of a gun has no previous arrests. However, the second stabbed teen is not unfamiliar to the police. He was arrested for grand larceny last October and treated as an adolescent offender. His case, however, was sealed. The said teen is also a suspect in a non-fatal shooting case in Queens back in August 2022 and a deadly shooting incident from May of the same year, although no charges have been brought forward for either cases.