Girl, 14, charged with attempted murder in scissor attack
By: Beth Winegarner
Examiner Staff Writer
January 16, 2009
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| A 14-year-old San Francisco girl has been charged with attempted murder after she attacked a classmate with a pair of scissors in a fight at Marina Middle School. (Beth Winegarner/Special to The Examiner) |
SAN FRANCISCO — A 14-year-old San Francisco girl was arraigned Thursday on charges of attempted murder and felony assault after she attacked a classmate with a pair of scissors.
The girl, whose name has been withheld due to her age, faces two felony counts in court, according to Erica Derryck, spokeswoman for the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office. She was arrested Tuesday at Marina Middle School after the fight, according to San Francisco Police Department Sgt. Lyn Tomioka.
Students and parents interviewed at Marina Middle School, where the fight occurred, characterized the attack as a run-of-the-mill tiff between classmates, not a potential murder. They also said they felt safe at the school, not known for regular violence among students.
A verbal spat arose between the two girls during an English class Tuesday just before lunchtime, according to a male classmate who wished to remain anonymous.
Then, “[the suspect] asked me to give her some scissors. I gave them to her,” the boy said.
The girl with the scissors then cut or stabbed the second girl more than once, according to Tomioka. Although her injuries were not life-threatening, paramedics were called to the school, according to San Francisco Unified School District spokeswoman Gentle Blythe.
“I tried to break it up, but I couldn't,” the classmate said.
School staff intervened, and the juvenile attacker was immediately taken into police custody, according to Blythe.
An SFUSD investigation into the incident continues, but Blythe would not say whether the girl would face further disciplinary action. Students can be suspended or expelled when they assault other students, according to the district’s student handbook.
Administrators quickly informed parents and students about the fight, and the school is providing additional mental-health support for students and staff who need it, Blythe said.
Principal Dennis Chew would not comment on the incident.
Marina Middle School, located at the corner of Fillmore and Chestnut streets, has a student population of 1,000 students in grades six through eight, according to the California Department of Education.
Although he would not comment on the specifics of the case, the Juvenile Probation Department chief questioned whether so many students who fight at school should be arrested and booked into Juvenile Hall.
“There are alternatives that have a stronger impact on youth than simply locking them up,” Siffermann said. “In the past, a trip to the principal’s office worked, but today, everything that involves antisocial behavior winds up in the juvenile justice system.”
