A 14-year-old boy is facing charges after a 13-year-old boy suffered minor injuries when he was struck in the head with a knife during a large fight at Gurnee Mills mall last weekend.
The 14-year-old boy was accompanied by his mother when he turned himself in to the Gurnee Police Department on Tuesday, police officials said. Charges were being pursued through the juvenile court system after detectives interviewed the boy.
The Gurnee Police Department and Gurnee Fire Department responded around 8:45 p.m. Saturday to the parking lot of Marcus Gurnee Mills Cinema, 6144 Grand Avenue, for a report of a fight between several juveniles.
Gurnee Police Department Public Information Officer Shawn Gaylor said that initial reports indicated a subject had a knife and a person was stabbed.
Officers arrived and located eight subjects involved in the altercation in the parking lot. One of the subjects, a 13-year-old boy, was bleeding from the head.
Gaylor said that the 14-year-old suspect, who reportedly had a small knife, fled the scene before officers arrived. Witnesses stated he struck the boy in the head with the knife, causing the injury.
Paramedics treated the injured boy at the scene and he did not require further treatment at a hospital, Gaylor said.
“Through further investigation, officers learned that all of the people involved in the fight were acquaintances. This was an isolated event, and there was no threat to other patrons in the area,” Gaylor said.
The identity of the 14-year-old suspect is being withheld because he is a juvenile, according to police, who did not say what charges were being pursued.