WATERTOWN, New York (WWNY) – Three teenagers were stabbed in what witnesses described as a gruesome scene.
It was a chaotic scene at East Hills Apartments in Watertown Tuesday night.
Police scrambling for answers in a sea of caution tape, neighbors filling in friends and family, and cruisers tearing out of the complex in search of a suspect that allegedly stabbed three teenage boys.
“There was at least three victims and one suspect, all males ages from early teens to 18,” Detective Lt. Joe Donoghue said.
Many of the witnesses to the crime were children.
“My daughter saw it,” Yvonne Grandjean said. “That’s going to be traumatizing for her. She’s only 10.”
Witnesses say the four teens had an argument and the eldest started “gutting” the others.
One teen was stabbed in the arm, another in the arm and stomach, and a third was slashed in the leg.
Officials say one was airlifted to Syracuse and the other two were taken to Samaritan Medical Center by ambulance.
Meanwhile, authorities had a manhunt going for the suspect, who took off running after the stabbing.
“We have checked dumpsters, were checking backyards, we have K-9s assisting,” Donoghue said.
After about an hour of searching, police found the suspect in the Northland Plaza.
He was taken into custody, but the damage was already done for both the victims and neighbors.
“I don’t want to live here no more,” Grandjean said. “That makes me want to move. I have a 10-year-old and a 12-year-old. It’s not safe. This should be a safe place for kids to be, not have to worry about are they going to get hurt, stabbed, or whatever.”
Police say the investigation is ongoing. Neighboring families say the event has left them terrified of their own community.
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