One Adult and Five Juveniles Arrested in Connection with an Elementary School Stabbing
NOVATO —One adult and five juveniles have been arrested in connection with a stabbing attack at Lynwood Elementary School. A second victim was also attacked during this possibly gang-related violence.
Emerson Gonzales, 19, a mechanic who lives in Novato, was arrested the first day of November at 10:48 a.m. Gonzales was booked on open charges at Marin County Jail. Two 15-year-olds and three 13-year-olds from Novato were booked the same day at Marin County Juvenile Hall.
All six suspects were arrested after witnesses were questioned and surveillance video was reviewed. Evidence was also collected at the scene of the stabbing. Following the arrests, investigators also executed multiple search warrants in Novato to gather more evidence.
The attacks occurred October 24 at 6:50 p.m. School was closed and there were no students on campus for any afterschool activities. Staff still at work notified police about a disturbance outside the school.
Responding officers found a 16-year-old boy in the school parking lot suffering from multiple stab wounds. The victim in critical condition was transported to a hospital trauma center for medical treatment. A 17-year-old male who was assaulted sustained only minor injuries, and he was released to his parents.
Officers investigating the incident learned that witnesses saw a group of juveniles fleeing from the school inside a vehicle. In fact, dozens of witnesses were interviewed by police.
Gonzales is suspected of being an accessory in a conspiracy to commit a crime and aiding/abetting it. He was booked for battery, mistreating a child to produce great bodily injury, and resisting an officer. The juveniles in this case were booked for attempted murder.
The investigation of the attacks at the school is ongoing. Anyone with information can call the Novato Police Department at 415-897-1122.
by Jim Emerson
