Two teens were reportedly stabbed after twelve to fifteen people were involved in a fight Saturday at a California mall.
The stabbing occurred inside Fashion Fair Mall near a JC Penny store before 6:30 when one of teens was injured, ABC 30 reported. (RELATED: McDonald’s Employee Stabbed Repeatedly While On The Job, Suspect On The Run)
— Mayor Jerry Dyer (@MayorJerryDyer) March 13, 2022
Several police arrived on the scene to find one of the teens and another suspect, who may have been involved in the fight, according to ABC 30.
The boy who was found at the scene was taken to Community Regional Medical Center (CRMC) to be treated for his injury. The other boy arrived at CRMC with a stab wound as well, and claimed that he was involved in the fight. Both are expected to recover, according to the outlet.
The two boys have been uncooperative in the investigation, so police are looking to surveillance footage and witnesses for answers, the outlet reported.
A foldable knife was found out behind the mall, but the blade did not seem to match up with the wounds that the two boys had sustained, according to the Sacramento Bee.
“I am extremely disturbed by the increase in violence at Fashion Fair Mall with this latest stabbing,” Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer said in a tweet.
Mayor Dyer added that that he is working with Fresno Police Chief Paco Balderrama and Council Member Tyler Maxwell to devise a safety plan that will prevent incidents like these from happening again.
Before the stabbing, multiple violent crimes have occurred at the Fashion Fair Mall. A group of teens threatened a 16-year-old boy with a gun as they attempted to mug him in early March. There was a shooting that occurred a year ago, when a confrontation between patrons resulted in shots being fired, according to the Sacramento Bee.