Santa Rosa high schools face more alarms than one

CÉLIA ALINE AMARAL STAFF WRITER

Around 11 a.m. on Monday, March 1 a fight broke out in an art classroom at Montgomery High School in Santa Rosa leaving 16-year-old Jayden Pienta dead and another student injured.

According to Santa Rosa police, a teacher and several teacher’s aides were able to break up the fight. However, moments later the fight continued and the freshman student, a 15-year-old boy, pulled out a folding knife and stabbed the two boys. The fight occurs between a freshman student and two juniors whose names were not released because of age.

Police responded within four minutes after being notified by the 911 dispatcher. At the press conference held by Santa Rosa Police Chief John Cregan, “both the students were alert and conscious and were providing initial statements.” He added, “our medical staff arrived on the scene and quickly started treating the students and they were transported to a local hospital.” Pienta succumbed to his injury later at the hospital. He suffered from three stab wounds in his upper body. The other student, also 16, was stabbed once in his hand but is expected to make full recovery.

The suspect fled the room after the incident but was found 40 minutes later by Santa Rosa police and the Sonoma county sheriff. He was taken into custody and is being charged with voluntary manslaughter, as authorities believe there was an element of self-defense to the stabbings. The weapon has not been found with the supect

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