Female student stabbed by man on school campus

(11/12/07 - KTRK/HOUSTON) (KTRK) -- HISD police say a homeless man stabbed a ninth grade female student in southwest Houston.

It happened around 8am at Lamar High School. Catherine Sullivan, 14, says she and four of her friends were standing outside the building on school property when they noticed a strange man approaching. That man, they say, appeared to be homeless.

Catherine says the man walked up behind her and, she says, attacked her.

"He pulled out two knives and he jumped on me. I put my arm in front of him when he jumped on me. I knew he was trying to stab me and he started stabbing my arm, twice," she said. "After a while, they were calling the police but it took a while. My friends started kicking him and beating him up."

A nearby HISD police officer heard the calls for help, rushed in and arrested the man. School administrators say the suspect is mentally ill. He's been identified as Larry Newton, 48.

Catherine's mother took her to a doctor to be checked out. She received six stitches on the back of her arm. Catherine says she was trying to block the man, who was on top of her armed with the knives.

Catherine and her friends say that it looked like Newton was using kitchen knives. Her friends held the suspect down until HISD police arrived. No one else was injured in the incident.

Newton has been charged with aggravated assault.
(Copyright © 2007, KTRK-TV)

Get more News »

• Email
• Print
• Report a typo
•