THOUSAND OAKS : Girl Cut in Scuffle With 2 Other Girls

In what began as a spat over a boy, two Thousand Oaks teen-agers attempting to cut off the ponytail of a 13-year-old student at Sequoia Intermediate School instead sent the youth to the hospital with scissor cuts to her face, authorities said Thursday.

The injured girl was leaving the Newbury Park school at 3:20 p.m. Wednesday when she was approached by the two older girls, said Detective Ernie Montagna of the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department. When the two attempted to cut the seventh-grader’s hair, a scuffle ensued and one of the older girls cut the 13-year-old’s face, Montagna said.

The victim was taken to a local hospital by her father and released, according to Fred Van Leuven, director of secondary education for the Conejo Valley School District.

“It wasn’t gang-related or anything like that,” Van Leuven said. “It was just an isolated incident. The girl’s wounds were superficial and I believe she’ll soon be back in school with stitches.”

One of her attackers, an unidentified 15-year-old, was arrested in connection with the assault, Montagna said.

Both of the girls involved in the attack are students at Newbury Park High School, Principal Chuck Eklund confirmed.

Sequoia Principal Max Beaman told teachers and students of the incident Thursday morning and sent a note to parents to assure them that it was not gang-related.

Beaman said he took action “because the rumor mill would fly that it was much worse and that all kinds of things were happening that are not really happening at this school.”