A 14-year-old student has been arrested on charges of attempted first-degree murder after two students were stabbed at Countryside High School in Clearwater. The incident occurred on Thursday morning, leaving the victims hospitalized with serious injuries. School resource officers swiftly apprehended the suspect, and the motive behind the attack remains unknown.
According to the Clearwater Police Department, the stabbing took place in the main concourse of the school at approximately 11:25 a.m., shortly after the first lunch period. The victims, a 9th and 11th-grade male student, were immediately attended to by emergency medical officials and transported to the hospital for treatment. Thankfully, both students have been stabilized, with one already released and the other still receiving medical care. The parents of the victims were promptly notified of the incident.
The suspect, a 14-year-old ninth-grade student, was swiftly apprehended by school resource officers just two minutes after the stabbing was reported. The officers acted quickly, having the suspect at gunpoint before taking him into custody. The school, which had approximately 1,500 students present at the time, was placed on lockdown as a precautionary measure while law enforcement cleared the premises. Students were later reunited with their families after the lockdown was lifted.
The motive behind the attack is unknown, and the relationship between the suspect and the victims has not yet been determined. Clearwater police have stated that the student suspect has no prior disciplinary history at the school. Detectives are actively investigating the incident, and their presence is expected to continue at the school for several hours.
The superintendent of Pinellas County schools announced that after-school activities were canceled for the day, but classes would resume as scheduled on Friday.