ITHACA, N.Y. — Three people under the age of 17 have been charged with gang assault and assault after police say they stabbed someone near the Ithaca Commons multiple times Friday evening.
A 24-year-old Ithaca resident was stabbed several times at about 6:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 7 on the 100 block of North Cayuga Street. According to police, the man was bleeding “profusely from the face and back.” On Monday, Public Information Officer Jamie Williamson said the man remains in “critical but stable condition,” at a trauma center he was flown to.
Police have arrested three individuals who are under 17. Due to their age and recent Raise the Age laws around youth offenders, Williamson said they cannot release the names or ages. They have been charged with first-degree gang assault and first-degree assault, both Class B felonies.
Williamson said they worked with the Tompkins County District Attorney’s Office to navigate Raise the Age legislation, which raised the age of juvenile delinquency to 17 in October. Williamson said it was a learning process and impacted what information they can release, where the youth have to be arraigned, and where they can be interviewed. They have also been sent to different detention facilities based on their ages, Williamson said.
Police say they have not developed information on a motive, and the attack appears to be random. Williamson said have not developed information that would suggest the victim and attackers knew each other.
Ithaca Police, Ithaca Fire and Bangs Ambulance responded to the scene just after 6:30 p.m. At 9 p.m., police were still on scene and had taped off an area on the 100 block of North Cayuga Street near the Clinton House, as well as the driveway beside the Clinton House. State police also assisted with the investigation.
Williamson said officers and investigators “did a great job … to put the pieces of the puzzle together” and to make sure the victim received appropriate care. “In regards to the investigation, our officers worked so well in locating the suspects and navigating through these new Raise the Age laws.”
The three suspects were arraigned in Ithaca City Court and are due back in court Dec. 10. Two subjects were remanded to a Juvenile Detention Facility and the other subject was remanded to a Specialized Secure Detention Facility.