Boy, 9, Stabbed; 12-Year-Old Held

A 9-year-old boy was in critical but stable condition Saturday after a 12-year-old boy allegedly stabbed him with a kitchen knife as they were washing dishes at an Altadena home for troubled boys, Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies said.

The younger boy, whose name was not released because of his age, underwent surgery at Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena after the 7 p.m. Friday incident, said Sgt. Dan Cox of the Crescenta Valley station. The 12-year-old was taken to Sylmar Juvenile Hall.

Cox said the two boys were washing dishes under the supervision of a house mother at The Sycamores, a home for boys suffering from conditions ranging from hyperactivity to child abuse.

“For no apparent reason, a 12-year-old male suddenly turned and stabbed a 9-year-old male in the upper back,” Cox said. He said, however, that the stabbing may have stemmed from an earlier argument.