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A 15-year-old girl who was arrested and then released following the alleged hate crime stabbing of a teenage girl last weekend has been rearrested after the investigation uncovered that she played a larger role in the attack than initially believed, sheriff’s officials said late Friday.
The suspect, whose name was not released because she is a minor, surrendered to deputies at the Lakeside Sheriff’s Substation shortly after a warrant was issued for her arrest, said Lt. Shawn Wray. She was booked into Juvenile Hall on attempted murder and hate crime charges.
She is believed to be the girlfriend of the 16-year-old boy who is already in custody, sheriff’s officials have said.
The attack happened April 16 just after 11 p.m. at an apartment complex on Mapleview Street in Lakeside. Sheriff’s officials said the boy, who was with a group of people, confronted the 16-year-old victim, who is Black, and her family and shouted racial slurs at them. During an ensuing scuffle, the boy allegedly stabbed the victim twice in the back.
The victim had to be hospitalized for her wounds.
Deputies arrested the 15-year-old girl on suspicion of brandishing a weapon in the attack, but she was later released to the custody of her guardian. The boy was arrested on Monday.
“Based on new information and witness statements in the ongoing investigation, Sheriff’s Detectives found the 15-year-old female juvenile suspect had a larger role in the attack than initially believed,” Wray said in a news release Friday night.
The boy pleaded not guilty Thursday in Juvenile Court to charges of attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon. Both charges carry hate-crime allegations, as well as allegations of personal use of a deadly weapon and personal infliction of great bodily injuries.
The District Attorney’s Office said the investigation is ongoing into whether charges will be filed against “other individuals involved” in the attack.
Tasha Williamson, founder of the social justice group Exhaling Injustice, said during a press conference earlier in the week that the victim and her younger sister got into a verbal altercation with the boy the day of the attack while walking their dog, and that the family had faced racist abuse in the complex for years.
An anti-hate crime rally is planned at a yet-to-be-disclosed location in Lakeside Saturday evening.
City News Service contributed to this report.
Source: This post first appeared on sandiegouniontribune.com
