GET THE LATEST NEWS EVERY DAY AT TIMESLEDGER.COM
• JAMAICA TIMES
• ASTORIA TIMES
• FOREST HILLS LEDGER
• LAURELTON TIMES
• QUEENS VILLAGE TIMES
• RIDGEWOOD LEDGER
• HOWARD BEACH TIMES
• RICHMOND HILL TIMES
Your Neighborhood — Your News®
ALSO COVERING ELMHURST, JACKSON HEIGHTS, LONG ISLAND CITY, MASPETH, MIDDLE VILLAGE, REGO PARK, SUNNYSIDE
LARGEST AUDITED
COMMUNITY
NEWSPAPER
IN QUEENS
Dec. 14-20, 2018
Teen charged in school slashing
Cardozo forced into 2 1/2 hour lockdown after student was attacked inside building
BY JENNA BAGCAL
Police sources confirmed
Wednesday that a 15-year-old
boy is now in custody on assault
and weapons possession
charges after slashing a fellow
student at Benjamin Cardozo
High School in Bayside on
Tuesday morning — and causing
a 2 1/2 hour lockdown of the
campus that alarmed students,
parents and staff alike
Police sources told
TimesLedger on Dec. 12 that
the suspect — whose identity
was withheld due to his age
— turned himself in on the
afternoon of Dec. 11 at the
111th Precinct‘s stationhouse
in Bayside.
Law enforcement sources
said that the attack occurred
at about 8:48 a.m. Tuesday
morning when the 15-year-old
suspect confronted the 14-yearold
male victim inside of the
high school at 57-00 223rd St.
The perpetrator engaged in a
verbal dispute with the victim,
authorities said, before slashing
him in the head with an
“unknown sharp weapon.”
The student was taken to a
nearby hospital and is being
treated for non-life-threatening
injuries. The school promptly
went on lockdown as police investigated
Students wait outside Benjamin Cardozo High School during the lockdown. Photo by Mark Hallum
the assault.
The lockdown lasted in excess
of 2 1/2 hours. Students
who were arriving for later
classes could not get inside the
building due to the lockdown,
but were allowed to get in at
about 11:40 a.m.
According to a source affiliated
with the school, a ninthgrade
student was stabbed by
the suspect. The source alleged
that the assailant may
have been accompanied by two
other students.
After the incident, the
victim ran down to the
lunch room gushing blood,
according to the source, before
heading to the school’s
emergency room.
The source said that the incident
was caught on camera
and that authorities knew the
identity of the suspect, who
had fled the school and headed
in the direction of Springfield
Boulevard.
Photos and videos of the incident
posted by students were
circulated on social media.
“Nobody is going to do anything
to me. I’m not going to do
anything to them. So yeah, I
feel safe,” said one of the locked
out students, who declined to
give his name.
Meanwhile, one parent of a
15-year-old daughter arrived at
the scene and expressed anxiety
over the situation.
“I’m nervous, scared for my
kid,” said the mother, who also
declined to give her name.
Erica Diaz, who waited
outside the school for about
an hour for her siblings, said
that “it’s not the first time
something has happened in
the school.”
She added, “I don’t understand
why there hasn’t been
metal detectors or anything of
that sort added to the school,
considering that there’s been
bomb threats here and now
there’s a stabbing.”
A Cardozo school official
addressed parents and the
press at around 11 a.m. Tuesday
and said that the lockdown
would soon be lifted.
“We’re currently in a lockdown
only because we want
to ensure that the building is
clean and safe for our students
and staff, and shortly, the lockdown
will be lifted,” the official
said. “I’m only sent out here to
discuss this with the parents
to ensure that the students are
safe. We’re just doing this as a
safety precaution.”
The official declined to
provide further details about
the incident.
Zach Gewelb, Mark Hallum
and Robert Pozarycki
contributed to this report.
Vol. 6, No. 50 60 total pages
ERIC COMFORT SHOES--QUEENS VILLAGE
THIS LOCATION ONLY
216-11 Jamaica Ave. (near Springfield Blvd.) 718-465-2860
AFTER 76 YEARS WE ARE REDUCING
OUR INVENTORY-SAVE UP TO 70%
Offer expires 12/20/18. With This Coupon Only
Cannot Be Combined With Any Other Offers
**Excludes Sale Items **Some Exclusions Apply
**$30 OFFAny Pair of
With This Coupon Only
Men's D-EEE Women's M.W.XW- 4-13
Clarks S-A-S Trio Timberland Johnston & Murphy Naturalizer
Ecco Babeth Florsheim Ara Rossa New Balance 993
Rockport Venetian Shoes, Sandals, Sneakers or Boots