Teenager accused of stabbing at MetraPark sentenced to probation

The teenager was also charged with tampering with evidence for throwing away the knife after the incident. Both charges were transferred from the district court to juvenile court.

The incident began in March when two teenagers, friends of the victim, attempted to steal the defendant's Louis Vuitton bag. The victim, a lifelong friend of the defendant, did not participate in the robbery and watched the movie with another friend.

The two attempted thieves approached the defendant in a friendly manner: “They slapped each other and smiled,” according to the witness statement. Then the thieves started talking about the bag. Then they tried to snatch the bag, the witness said.

The accused refused to hand over the bag and ran away from the thieves. The thieves chased him. The victim also ran out of the stadium in the same direction and met the accused at the exit, where the accused stabbed him twice.

The entire altercation, from the attempted robbery to the stabbing, took place within a few minutes.

“The situation got worse very quickly,” said Assistant District Attorney Hallie Bishop.

The defendant said he stabbed the victim out of fear.

The victim, who was taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries including a collapsed lung, refused to make a statement to authorities or reveal the names of his friends. Authorities were never able to uncover the identities of the two thieves.

Although the prosecution argued that the teenager should be on probation until he turns 23, the court ruled in favor of the defense because the teenager had behaved well during his incarceration from March to May and during subsequent probation. He received no warnings in prison, attended school regularly and was employed during the summer.

This process of detention and supervision “is not easy for anyone aged 15 or 16,” said Judge Mary Jane Knisley.

The teenager admitted this in his own statement in court.

“It taught me a lot about what I want for the future and where I don’t want to end up,” he said.

When handing down the verdict, Knisley said the youth had performed excellently in school and in his professional life and that he would be under supervision for many years to come.

“You have six times 365 days to show what you are really made of,” she said.

“Be better than you have to be and better than you are told you should be,” she continued.

The First Interstate Arena hosted the Southern B Basketball Tournament, which draws thousands of spectators from dozens of teams across the state. Outbreaks of violence during high school tournaments are rare.