By Nicole Falco
According to police, the 17-year-old victim, a Jamaica resident, tried to collect a $2 "toll" from suspect Michael Reed, 19, and three friends as they were crossing the bridge at about 3:15 p.m. When neither the suspect nor his friends complied, police said, the victim reached into Reed's pockets and tried to take his headphones and skateboard. Reed, a Rosedale resident, responded by taking out a pocket knife and allegedly stabbing the victim about five times in his back, left thigh and chest, police said.
The suspect fled to nearby Green Acres Mall, where he was later arrested based on witnesses' descriptions. "Police found [Reed] near the food court with blood on his hands," said Detective Lt. Robert Cuerbo of the Fifth Precinct.
Meanwhile, a few South High School students acted quickly to get the victim medical attention. They brought him into South and school officials called 911. The victim was airlifted to Nassau University Medical Center, where he was listed in critical but stable condition.
"Some of our students acted extremely well by helping the person who was stabbed into South High School to get treated, because he was bleeding badly," Superintendent of Schools Dr. Marc Bernstein said, offering an explanation to residents gathered for a budget hearing that night. "The person was brought into South High School and given emergency treatment by some members of our staff."
Neither the victim nor the suspect is a student at South, which is located on Jedwood Place, but they were near the school because each has friends who attend it, police said. "The only reason why South High School was filmed by some of the TV helicopters is because the incident occurred near the school, and because the person was brought into our school," Bernstein said.
The incident did cause confusion in the community as to who was involved, where the altercation actually occurred and what sparked it. "It's very confusing," said Terry Gardner, who lives near the school. "Everybody's got a different story."
Immediately after the incident, the school went into lockdown mode, meaning that no one could enter or exit the building. Though the school day had ended at 2:48 p.m., students were still in the building for extracurricular activities. The nearby Forest Road and Robert W. Carbonaro schools were also locked down as a precaution until the suspect was apprehended.
Reed, of 143-10 243rd Street, was charged with first-degree assault and third-degree criminal possession of a weapon.
As a result of the incident, some South parents are calling for the footbridge, which is Town of Hempstead property, to be closed. The bridge serves as an easement between the school and the Mill Brook community. There is a similar bridge near North High School.
"We'll be looking into the history of the two easements," said Bernstein. "I'm also asking the administrators at each building how those two easements are used. We'll collect facts first."
Comments about this story? NFalco@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 208.
