Large brawl at Los Angeles high school leaves 2 students with stab wounds; 3 detained

Two students were hospitalized with stab wounds Wednesday after a brawl broke out at a large Los Angeles high school that prompted a lockdown, school officials said.

The fight began shortly before 11 a.m. local time in the outdoor courtyard area of Van Nuys High School in the city’s San Fernando Valley. Los Angeles police, who arrived at the scene within minutes, later determined that 11 students were involved in the melee.

During the fight, one student pulled out a sharp weapon and stabbed two students who were later taken to a hospital. A third student was also hospitalized for other injuries, while a fourth received medical attention at the school for minor wounds, Alberto Carvalho, superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District, said at a news conference.

All four students are expected to survive.

It has not yet been determined what weapon was used in the stabbings, but Carvalho said three students have been detained for questioning by law enforcement. Officials have also not specified what prompted the fight.

USA TODAY left a message Thursday morning for the school district's media team that was not immediately returned.

"This is the type of incident that is difficult to anticipate and we have to rely on what people know and can convey to us," Carvalho said at Wednesday's news conference. "We continue to urge parents and students to tell us about what they know so we can prevent these types of incidents."

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District was placed on hours-long lockdown

The fight led officials to place the school on lockdown for hours.

Located about 18 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles in the nation's second-largest school district, Van Nuys has an estimated 2,400 students enrolled between its high school and continuation school, Carvalho said.

In the aftermath of the violent brawl, Carvalho said the district sent two alerts to parents in both English and Spanish informing them of what happened. The lockdown was soon lifted after school officials determined there was no imminent threat to the campus.

All school activities were expected to resume Wednesday as scheduled, Carvalho said. The school also made additional counselors and social workers available to speak with students and staff.

"The school is calm, students are in their classrooms," Carvalho said Wednesday.

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Van Nuys to allow police back on school grounds

While Carvalho said the police response was swift, he claimed it was hampered by a newer policy that prohibits L.A. School Police on school grounds within the district.

However, he said that policy is no more.

"Once you know better, you must do better," Carvalho said. “As of today, Van Nuys will have the presence of an officer within its school facilities.”

Eric Lagatta covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at elagatta@gannett.com