California Teen Stabbed to Death After Fight Broke out in Art Class

A California teen was stabbed to death during a fight at Montgomery High School on Wednesday. According to Fox News, the Santa Rosa Police Department responded to a fight on the campus at around 11:10 a.m.

Police Chief John Cregan said in a news conference that a 16-year-old boy was stabbed after he got into a fight with another student. A fight broke out between two juniors, both 16, and a 15-year-old freshman in an art class, police said, adding that a teacher and several teacher's assistants intervened and stopped the fight.

But moments later, the freshman allegedly pulled out a folding knife and stabbed the other two students. Cregan said, "one of those students received three stab wounds to his upper body," while "one student received one stab wound to his left hand."

According to the police report, the freshman student was assigned to the art class while the other two juniors were not. Police said around 30 people were inside the classroom. The two older teens met with a school nurse before being brought to a hospital, where one died.

After fleeing the school grounds, the 15-year-old was tracked down by officials in a creek bed behind a local church. Before Wednesday's killing, authorities said the three students had previously been involved in fights.

Students React to California Teen Stabbing in Art Class

The students' names were not immediately released. In the news conference, Santa Rosa City Schools superintendent Anna Trunnell said: "This is truly a sad day. The tragedy that happened here today is heartbreaking."

Several students voiced concerns during the press conference about their safety and asked why school officials did not do more to stop the stabbing incident despite knowing there were problems between the three teens.

However, SF Gate reported that school officials walked out instead of answering the students. Officials previously said there were no metal detectors or police officers inside any of district's schools.

"We are going to be assessing how we approach supporting our students and making sure that they know that this is a safe place, and we will be examining how exactly we're going to do that," Trunnell noted.

In 2020, The Santa Rosa Press-Democrat reported that the district's board voted to "pause" its relationship with the Santa Rosa Police Department as it reviews the efficacy of a program that places police officers on the high school and middle school campuses. The police department is reportedly clamoring to get back to school campuses.

The Santa Rosa Police Officers Association, the union representing the department's rank-and-file officers, wrote on Facebook after Wednesday's stabbing incident that the police department responded to 945 calls for service in various Santa Rosa schools last year.

Montgomery High School Stabbing Incident That Killed California Teen Affects Surrounding Schools

Due to their proximity to Montgomery High School, district spokesperson Vanessa Wedderburn said the Brook Hill Elementary, Herbert Slater Middle, and Santa Rosa French-American Charter School were on lockdown for about 30 minutes.

The Santa Rosa Press-Democrat also reported that Manzanita Elementary, Village Elementary, and Spring Lake Middle schools, as well as Strawberry and Yulupa elementary schools, were also briefly placed on lockdown, which was lifted in the afternoon.

Santa Rosa police had more than a dozen cars stationed in front of the school, but no students or staff were seen outside the campus after Montgomery High School entered a lockdown. The school has canceled classes and after-school activities for the remainder of Wednesday after the California teen was stabbed.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Bert Hoover

WATCH: Student Fatally Stabbed During Fight at Santa Rosa High School - From KTVU FOX 2 San Francisco