High school placed under secure protocol after nearby stabbing; 16-year-old arrested

UPDATE (3:55 p.m.) - Santa Barbara County Sheriff's deputies arrested a 16-year-old boy Friday on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon after an incident in Santa Barbara that left two other teens injured and put a nearby high school under "secure protocol."

Sheriff's officials say deputies responded to reports of a stabbing in the 4600 block of Chilon Way at about 8:30 a.m.

They reportedly found a 17-year-old girl with an injury to her leg and a 17-year-old boy with an injury to his arm. The victims were taken to a local hospital to be treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

Sheriff's officials say deputies were able to quickly identify the suspect, a 16-year-old boy. He was reportedly arrested just before 10:15 a.m. and booked into the Santa Maria Juvenile Hall.

During the investigation, nearby San Marcos High School was placed on a secure protocol and students were directed to get inside and lock outside doors.

This was the second time in the past two weeks that a secure protocol was initiated at San Marcos High due to an off-campus incident. In that case, a 15-year-old boy was ultimately arrested on a charge of attempted murder for what sheriff's officials described as a "knife attack" that left another juvenile with a hand injury.

Principal Dare Holdren says incidents like these are rare and the type of lockdown depends on the severity of the incident.

"If there is an event on campus, we do a lockdown, we turn the lights off, close the blinds and the kids are quiet. When there is something off campus, as a precaution we go into a secure protocol, what we call a lockout. We lock the doors, get the kids inside, and it's business as usual inside the classroom," Holdren explained.

In rare cases, usually due to a natural disaster, a shelter-in-place may be issued.

Holdren says the school works closely with law enforcement to make judgments on when to enact which procedure. Friday’s secure protocol lasted about an hour.

"Our students were cooperative and patient and our staff did a great job keeping people safe," Holdren said.
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UPDATE (9:56 a.m.) - Sheriff's officials say the secure protocol has been lifted. The incident remains under investigation.
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UPDATE (9:25 a.m.) - Sheriff's officials say the secure protocol is related to a double stabbing near campus and the suspect is still outstanding.
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(9:03 a.m.) - San Marcos High School is under "secure protocol" Friday morning due to an active incident near the school, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office announced.

Students are ordered to get inside and lock the doors, Sheriff's Office PIO Raquel Zick wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Deputies said the active incident is happening near the school and not on campus.