Teens attack juvenile with sword or machete, Spokane County Sheriff’s Office says

A 14-year-old and a 17-year-old from Spokane County are suspected in an assault of another juvenile with a sword or machete that left the 14-year-old suspect with severe stab wounds and an attempted murder charge, the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office said.

Sheriff’s deputies responded to a report of an assault and possible robbery on Sept. 21 just after 11 p.m. and located the victim, who had minor injuries, and a witness, according to a news release.

The victim and witness were reportedly keeping the fact that they were dating from the 17-year-old suspect because he previously dated the witness and had a violent history.

The 17-year-old suspect was driving the victim, the witness, the 14-year-old suspect and two other juveniles to his mother’s house in north Spokane County when he pulled the car over on the 6700 block of North Wild Rose Road and everyone exited the vehicle, the news release said.

The 17-year-old allegedly first attacked the victim with the large blade, then the 14-year-old suspect hit the victim in the back of the head and the two other juveniles joined the fight.

The victim responded by producing a knife from his pocket to defend himself, according to the news release. The 14-year-old suspect suffered several severe stab wounds that were initially believed to be life-threatening.

The victim told the witness to run as he fled to hide in a field, according to the news release. The 14-year-old suspect then allegedly chased the victim with the large blade, yelling that he was going to kill the victim.

After the two suspects and other two juveniles left in the vehicle, the victim returned to the road, located the witness and called law enforcement, the sheriff’s office said.

The 17-year-old suspect later called 911 to report that he was in a hospital with the second suspect, who was being treated for the stab wounds. Deputies and Major Crimes Unit detectives responded due to the serious injuries.

The 17-year-old was arrested at the hospital and booked into the Spokane County Juvenile Detention Center on a second-degree assault charge.

The 14-year-old suspect was booked into the juvenile detention center after he was released from the hospital. He faces charges of first-degree attempted murder, second-degree assault and felony harassment.

All the individuals involved in the incident range from 11 to 17 years old.

Investigators have not been able to determine who inflicted harm on the victim, but the 14-year-old suspect is facing more serious charges for threatening to kill the victim, according to Deputy Mark Gregory, a sheriff’s office spokesman.

Gregory said deputies have not been able to locate the large blade used in the assault, which some witnesses have described as a machete and others have said was a sword.