A juvenile has been arrested in connection with a stabbing incident that prompted heightened security measures at several schools in the Hilliard and northwest Columbus areas yesterday morning. NBC4i said the altercation occurred around 7:25 a.m. near Springdale Boulevard and Bathgate Street. The suspect is believed to be under the age of 18.
In response to the incident, four elementary schools within the Hilliard City Schools district, Crossing, Scioto Darby, Beacon, and J.W. Reason, were closed for the day. Meanwhile, other institutions, including Heritage Middle School, Darby High School, Station, ILC, and the HUB, operated under a level one lockdown, as reported by WBNS. This security status meant that no one could enter or exit these buildings.
The victim, a juvenile male, sustained a wound to the stomach and was transported to Nationwide Children's Hospital. As of the latest reports, he is in stable condition. The schools that were not closed dismissed students as usual, and after-school activities in the district resumed, signaling a semblance of normality returning after the morning's events.
Law enforcement utilized a drone to survey the area as they searched for the suspect. The individual accused of the stabbing was eventually apprehended near a local Sunoco gas station and Nasty's Sports Bar and Restaurant on Scioto Darby Road. CW Columbus reported that the capture took place on Monday afternoon. Witnesses at a bus stop where the incident unfolded provided the description that helped lead to the suspect's capture.
In a statement obtained by NBC4i, a district representative addressed the community, "Due to a police situation in the Cross Creek area, you may notice an increased police presence at all our schools today. Out of an abundance of caution, we have closed four elementary schools: Crossing, Scioto Darby, JW Reason, and Beacon. The buses did run in these neighborhoods, so if your student was outside waiting, they were picked up and taken to school. All students in those schools are being cared for and will be fed. If your building is closed, please go to the school and pick the students up."
