3 injured by 8-year-old in Minnesota school knife attack

Jordyn Brown | St. Cloud (Minn.) Times

SAUK RAPIDS — An 8-year-old boy at Pleasantview Elementary School came to school with a kitchen knife about 7:15 a.m. Monday and randomly attacked fellow students, according to authorities.

Three students — ages 8, 9 and 13 — were cut in the incident, according to Sauk Rapids Police Chief Perry Beise.

Beise said the children had "superficial wounds to be stitched up," and nobody else was seriously injured. Two children were taken to the hospital by their parents, where they were treated and released.

The suspect was taken into custody by Sauk Rapids police, interviewed and has since been released to his parents.

Interim Superintendent Bruce Watkins said the "second-grade student entered the building, put his backpack away and pulled out a knife and struck three students."

Watkins said the incident lasted approximately five minutes before the student was stopped by "adult intervention."

Watkins declined to comment further about the 8-year-old due to student privacy rules.

Parents of children attending Pleasantview all received an electronic notice of the incident this morning. Watkins said classes were not interrupted, as the incident happened before school, and classes will continue as usual for the rest of the day.

Watkins also said there will be mental health professionals available in the school for students and teachers impacted by the incident.

Pleasantview has students in grades kindergarten through fifth grade. There are approximately 790 students enrolled at the elementary.

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