Boy Stabbed on Ventura Campus : Violence: The incident occurs a day after the school board decides not to hire armed security guards to patrol.

A high school football player was stabbed in the chest in Ventura on Wednesday during a fight in the student parking lot, a day after the Ventura school board decided not to hire armed security guards to patrol its high schools.

Police said a 17-year-old Buena High School student confronted Jeremy Addison in the parking lot during the lunch hour and stabbed him in full view of dozens of students.

The assailant was immediately tackled by a group of football players and beaten before fleeing the scene, witnesses said. The youth, whose name was withheld because of his age, was arrested at a nearby shopping center.

Addison, 18, suffered a collapsed lung and was in serious but stable condition Wednesday evening at Ventura County Medical Center.

Police and school officials, who have been under pressure from the community to step up anti-gang efforts in the wake of last month’s fatal stabbing of a Ventura High student, were quick to say that the incident was not gang-related.

“There are gangs and there is violence, and we are treating this as an incidence of violence,” Sgt. Brent Johnson said.

Principal Jaime Castellanos agreed. “This had nothing to do with gangs whatsoever,” he said. “It was two individuals who made some poor decisions.”

Castellanos said the students were caught fighting on campus Monday and were suspended. He said Addison was allowed back to school Wednesday, and the other student was not supposed to return until today.

“He came onto campus unauthorized,” Castellanos said.

Addison, in an interview from his hospital bed Wednesday, said he was leaving campus for lunch about 12:30 p.m. when he spotted the other boy in the parking lot. He said the student had hit him on Monday.

“I saw him and I went up to him to settle it,” said Addison, an honor student. “We got in a little fight, and he pulled a knife and stabbed me in the side.”

“It was real strange,” Addison said. “It’s the first real fight I’ve ever been in, and just my luck I get stabbed.”

Varsity football coach Rick Scott described Addison as a “pretty sharp kid who has a 3.8 grade-point average and takes honor classes.” He said Addison is an inside linebacker on the football team in charge of calling defensive plays.

“He’s a good, clean-cut kid who’s got a good direction in his life,” Scott said. “It’s a shame this happened to him.”

Ventura Unified School District officials were in shock over Wednesday’s incident.

“This is madness,” Supt. Joseph Spirito said. “We’ve got to make a plea to the community to help us. Enough is enough.”

Earlier this week, the district imposed a series of security measures at Ventura High in an effort to curb gang activities after the Jan. 29 fatal stabbing of Jesse Strobel in what police believe was a gang-related attack. The slaying occurred off campus.

In response to an outpouring of community concern, the district closed a section of Poli Street, which divides the Ventura High campus, to lessen the chance of drive-by shootings. In addition, a new dress code was instituted banning hats and other headgear, and all off-campus lunch passes were revoked.

Tuesday night, more than 100 parents, teachers and students packed the school board meeting to voice their concerns about the new safety measures, although many said they thought the measures were excessive.

Afterward, the board decided to drop plans to hire uniformed security officers to patrol Ventura, Buena and Pacific high schools.

Spirito and board President John Walker said they preferred to establish an anti-gang and drug-prevention program at each of the high schools.

Despite Wednesday’s incident, Spirito and Walker said they favor a counseling program over hiring security guards.

“Even if we had security guards, something can happen on any corner of a school campus,” Spirito said.

Several Buena High students who witnessed Wednesday’s stabbing agreed with the superintendent.

“This was an isolated incident,” said Keith Burchstead, 16. “It happens everywhere you go. It happens out on the street and it happens in school. You can’t really stop it.”

Times correspondents James Maiella Jr., Patrick McCartney, Barbara Murphy and Brenda Day contributed to this story.