Wilson High School student stabbed during attempted robbery on way to school

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A D.C. high school student was stabbed in the leg Monday morning during an attempted robbery a block from his school. The 17-year-old victim had just parked his car at a dead end on Grant Road when a man approached him with a knife and demanded his wallet.

D.C. police said when the student parked his Honda CRV at around 9 a.m., a man in his 30s approached him. A source said the suspect pulled out what is being described as a pocket knife and demanded the teen's cell phone and wallet. During a struggle, the student was stabbed in the left thigh and the man ran off with nothing.

A source familiar with the investigation said the 17-year-old was able to bandage the stab wound to his leg before making his way across Nebraska Avenue and up to the front entrance to the school.

That is where an ambulance was called, which then took the teenager to a nearby hospital. The source described the injury as a superficial stab wound.

Police have recovered the knife and spent a considerable amount of time processing the scene on Grant Road. It is a popular place to park for students who can leave their vehicles there all day without being ticketed.

"It was an attempted robbery," said Dustin Sternbeck, spokesperson for D.C. police. "To our knowledge, the suspect did not get any of the possessions from our victim in this case. But there is a suspect at large. The description that is provided to us was an Asian or Hispanic male, possibly in his 30s, in all dark clothing. If anybody in this adjacent neighborhood saw somebody out of the ordinary, maybe a vehicle that was out of place, to contact police and provide that information and assist us in this investigation."

Last week, another Wilson High School student was robbed at knifepoint in Fort Reno Park nearby the high school. At least one juvenile was arrested and charged.

Wilson High School principal Kimberly Martin posted a letter to parents on the school's website:

Dear Parents:

At Wilson High School, we highly value and are committed to fostering a learning environment where students feel safe and secure. We also want to communicate clearly with parents about safety issues when they arise.

The Wilson Administration, MPD, the Office of Youth Engagement, and our school security team are involved in an investigation of a stabbing incident of a Wilson student.

This morning we were made aware that while parking at an off-site location, a robbery of a student resulted in the student being injured and transported to Children's Hospital. Emergency and support personnel responded quickly and professionally, for which we are truly grateful. Using the information gathered, MPD is searching for the assailant.

While this event did not occur on campus, we are committed to providing safe passage for students, to and from school each day, and will continue working closely with all community resources to keep our students safe.