Investigators have determined that a 13-year-old’s claim that he was stabbed by an unknown assailant in Escondido two weeks ago was false, police reported Tuesday.
The boy has admitted that he accidentally suffered minor cuts on the afternoon of May 12 while he and a friend with a knife were playing in the 700 block of East Mission Avenue, near Mission Middle School, according to the Escondido Police Department.
He then “went to the school and told staff the false story, so as not to get himself or his friend in trouble,” EPD Lt. Suzanne Baeder said.
After receiving the bogus crime report, administrators at the school placed the campus on lockdown as a precaution as officers searched the neighborhood in vain for the nonexistent assailant.
“Detectives are evaluating if any juveniles will be charged with filing a false police report or any other crimes,” Baeder said. “The Escondido Police Department would like to thank everyone who attempted to assist in the investigation of this (case) and who showed concern for the child involved.”