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SAN DIEGO —
A 16-year-old boy suspected of stabbing a teenage girl in an alleged hate crime in Lakeside pleaded not guilty Thursday in Juvenile Court to charges of attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon.
According to the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office, both charges carry hate crime allegations, as well as allegations of personal use of a deadly weapon and personal infliction of great bodily injuries.
He could face up to 17 years in custody if convicted.
Authorities said the suspect, whose name was withheld because he is a minor, was in a group of youths who confronted the 16-year-old victim, who is Black, and members of her family. The encounter happened about 11 p.m. Saturday in an apartment complex on Mapleview Street not far from state Route 67, according to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department.
The teens shouted racial slurs at the girl and her relatives, apparently upset about an assault that had occurred earlier in the day, sheriff’s Lt. Shawn Wray said. He did not give further details about the earlier encounter.
During an ensuing scuffle, authorities said, the suspect allegedly stabbed the victim twice in the back, then ran off along with his cohorts.
After the stabbing, the girl was hospitalized. Her condition has not been disclosed. The girl, her mother, aunts and grandparents attended the hearing in San Diego Juvenile Court on Thursday morning. The boy’s parents, grandmother and other family members were also in attendance.
The boy turned himself in to police on Monday, according to a defense attorney representing him in court. The attorney requested that the boy be released to his family on home supervision and GPS monitoring, but Superior Court Judge Richard Monroy denied the request.
In addition to custody, the boy was also ordered to stay away from the victim, her mother and her sister. He is due back in court June 6.
Source: This post first appeared on sandiegouniontribune.com
