WASHINGTON - D.C. police have taken two persons of interest into custody Tuesday afternoon in connection to a stabbing near several D.C. schools in the Petworth area Tuesday morning.
This comes one day after a Wilson High School student was stabbed in a robbery attempt and another Wilson High School student was robbed near the school last week.
After the stabbing took place in Northwest D.C., we noticed a group of officers gathered at Roosevelt Senior High School. Then they started rushing to their patrol cars and drove off to an alley near 8th Street and Upshur Street where a witness said police shouted commands at two young men.
Police blocked off the area for several hours after witnesses said they saw two young men trying to jump a fence and hiding close to some homes.
"I saw two guys running from where the school was," said a witness. "They ran behind a construction site. We heard the fence ratting. Then we just heard the police say, 'Put your hands up. Put your hands up.'"
Police taped off the area and brought in K-9 units. Over an hour later, they escorted two young men out in handcuffs.
Police said the case is still under investigating and they are pursuing some leads.
FOX 5 asked D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser about the recent crime near schools.
"Any crime in the District is concerning to me and we want not only the students but anybody who may have been around and seen something suspicious to call 911 and let us know," said Bowser."
Police have provided few details about the stabbing victim or where he may have attended high school, but they made it clear Tuesday's stabbing was not connected to the crimes near Wilson High School.
The mayor said the city is prepared for what is usually an increase in violence over the summer months and police will be focusing on high crime areas throughout the city during this time.