Sachem High School East student denies stabbing allegations, ordered held without bail

A 15-year-old Sachem High School East student was ordered held without bail one day after prosecutors say he repeatedly stabbed a fellow student in the chest with a knife during an altercation in the school parking lot Thursday.

The student, whom Newsday is not naming due to his age, had sought to be released from custody after his lawyer, in court, denied the allegations behind the charges of first-degree assault and fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon.

"Considering the nature of the charges and the use of a weapon I’m going to order remand," meaning a return to custody, Suffolk District Court Judge Bernard Cheng explained at his arraignment in Central Islip Friday afternoon.

Assistant District Attorney Keith O’Brien said the 16-year-old alleged victim in the case had to undergo emergency surgery at Stony Brook University Hospital after being stabbed multiple times "in the upper chest" with a kitchen knife that had a four-inch blade. He argued that keeping the teenage defendant in custody was necessary due to the "extreme violent nature" of the allegations. An order of protection was also issued for the injured teen.

Defense attorney Robert Levinson of the Suffolk County Legal Aid Society had sought his client’s release with bail and GPS monitoring conditions, saying there was more to the case than "meets the eye."

"This was not an unprovoked attack," Levinson said.

The defendant’s mother, who Newsday is not identifying because her son is a minor, said outside of court before the arraignment that her son had been bullied by the older student at the Farmingville high school.

She said her son was not looking to fight but that things had "escalated" between the teens in recent days. She said her son had blocked the other boy from sending him messages.

The mother said she was concerned,, based on a video of the fight, over how long it appeared to take security to intervene in the altercation, which police said took place after 2 p.m. dismissal.

"I tell my kids to protect themselves, and when they go to school I expect for the school to protect my kids," she said.

The mother said her son had never been in trouble at school before, and Levinson said he had no prior arrests.

"He's a good kid," she said.

The grandmother of the alleged victim, who Newsday is not naming because he is a minor and the alleged victim of a violent crime, declined to comment when contacted by telephone.

Suffolk County Police announced Friday that patrol officers would be providing an increased presence at the Farmingville campus.

"All our thoughts are with the student and his family at this very difficult time," Sachem Superintendent Patti Trombetta said in a statement. She assured families that the campus was safe and the district would continuing working with its security team and with police.

"The health, safety, and welfare of our students remain our highest priority as a District. We understand the great concerns this incident may cause within the Sachem community," Trombetta said.

On social media, some parents questioned the school’s handling of the incident. In a video shared with Newsday, the boys are seen coming to blows while a large crowd of students surrounds them. Some scream, "Oh my God," and laugh.

 A security guard in a reflective yellow jacket then steps in and someone is heard yelling "break it up, break it up," while the pair of students continue punching each other.  The defendant falls to ground and students laugh.

The security guard intervenes seconds later and pulls the alleged victim off the defendant. But the defendant then gets up and rushes up to the other teen. The security guard tries to kick him away, but the defendant appears to stab the student while two other guards run up to restrain him.

Some security experts said the fight should prompt a complete review of the district’s security and safety protocols.

"If you're looking at this situation, the district should not just limit its response to adding security guards and metal detectors. It should determine whether the existing officers have the training, the proper nonlethal tools to mitigate situations such as this — the deployment strategy, communications, and supervisory response and support necessary to respond effectively to these rapidly evolving situations," said Joseph Sordi, a retired NYPD sergeant who has responded to active shooter situations.

Sordi, now chief executive officer of Smithtown-based Strategic Security Corp., said the "fundamental lesson from reviewing this incident is that physical intervention without maintaining any control of the broader threat environment can unintentionally increase a student's vulnerability."

Brian Higgins, adjunct professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and president of security firm Group 77, based in New Jersey, said school altercations go back as long as anyone can remember, but the presence of a weapon creates a scary situation. He wondered if the boy had been carrying the knife all day.

"The school, in particular, would need a fresh set of eyes," Higgins said. "They need a review to see where they can increase security."

District officials declined to comment.

Higgins, a former police chief, also found the response of the spectator students to be disturbing.

"The students were kind of joking, laughing. You know, it didn't seem to bother them. This fight seemed to be entertaining," he said.

The teen defendant, who appeared in court Friday in the same clothes he was wearing during the altercation, will be returned to the felony youth court in Central Islip on Monday, Cheng said.