South Euclid police

Police arrested a 6-year-old girl on suspicion of threatening three older girls with a knife.

(Adam Ferrise, NEOMG)

SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio — Police arrested a 6-year-old girl, who they say threatened three older girls with a knife after the girls declined her offer to play outside with her.

The girl wielded two large kitchen knives at the girls in the front yard of a home in the 4000 block of Hardwood during a study break for the three other girls— ages 11, 12, and 13, police reports say.

The girl charged at the trio and later lied to police, reports say. Officers arrested the girl, booked her and sent the case to juvenile prosecutors.

On Tuesday May 6, the 6-year-old approached the trio, who told police they were working on a school project but went outside during a break.

The 6-year-old asked the other girls if they wanted to play and the girls declined. The 6-year-old returned minutes later and asked if they knew where her basketball was, and the girls said they didn’t, police reports say.

Shortly after, the 6-year-old returned with two red-handled kitchen knives and demanded her basketball back or they “were going to get cut,” police reports say. The group pointed to a basketball across the street and rolled it in the girl’s direction.

The 6-year-old then ran at the girls with the knives, police reports say. The group ran into the house and called their parents.

The parent who lives at the home called police and said her daughter told her she was just threatened.

Officers talked to the trio, who told them about the incident, and then questioned the 6-year-old’s caretaker, who told police she was sleeping while watching the girl for the girl’s mother, who was at work at the time.

The 6-year-old initially denied threatening the girls, then said she only threatened to use a knife and didn’t actually have one, according to police reports.

Police told the 6-year-old the group described the knives found inside her home. The girl then told police she used the knives.