Police say a 7-year-old child may have been among the half-dozen attackers who stabbed three teens with a machete and a knife at a Long Island park this week, the first of two violent incidents in the area.
At around 3:15 p.m. on Monday, the three teens were attacked at Hempstead Lake State Park in Nassau County, not far from Hempstead High School. At least one of the victims is a student at the school, and police believe the attack may have been targeted and gang-related. The victims suffered stab wounds and were treated at area hospitals; one victim was listed in critical condition.
Monday's stabbing was the first of two in the area. On Tuesday evening, police say three 19-year-olds were stabbed by a masked man in a park in Rockville Centre, just two miles from the incident in Hempstead Lake State Park.
The teenagers were reportedly playing basketball when the suspect approached them and tried to hit one of them. A scuffle broke out, and the suspect allegedly pulled out a knife, stabbing them before fleeing. The teens were treated for non-life threatening injuries at an area hospital.
Local residents say the area is "usually quiet," and are surprised by the recent violence.
