NEWBURY PARK : Stabbed Youth in Serious Condition

A Newbury Park teen-ager remained hospitalized in serious condition Thursday after he was stabbed in the face during a fight near Newbury Park High School, authorities said.

Eric Severns, 16, was stabbed a single time in the side of the face in the fight at Borchard Park, Sheriff’s Detective Ernie Montagna said. He was taken to Los Robles Regional Medical Center, where he underwent emergency surgery.

Deputies who responded to the fight shortly after noon Wednesday arrested two other Newbury Park teen-agers in the assault, Sheriff’s Detective Ernie Montagna said. Investigators are also looking for a third juvenile they believe was involved in the incident, he said.

The motive for the assault remained unclear after an initial round of interviews, but gang involvement has been ruled out, Montagna said.

“We’re still trying to discover what actually happened,” he said, adding that those interrogated so far have given conflicting accounts of what triggered the fight.

Whatever the cause of the fight, witnesses described it as a brief confrontation between two juveniles in a group that had gathered at the park near the high school, Montagna said.

Severns broke away after the stabbing and ran from his assailant through the park, he said. Several park employees noticed he was bleeding and assisted him until an ambulance arrived.