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1 Bitten in Chest, 2 Slashed in NYC High School Grad Brawl: Police

Witnesses said they heard students yelling, "Fight, fight, fight," then saw people running

Two people were slashed and a third was bitten in the chest when a brawl erupted after a high school graduation in Brooklyn Wednesday, police say.

It's not clear what sparked the fight in front of John Jay High School in Park Slope shortly before noon. Witnesses said they heard students yelling, "Fight, fight, fight," then saw people running. 

"All of a sudden, the crowd was coming out of the school," said Clarence Jackson. "Everyone shifted towards the left side of the building, and the next thing you know, you see the whole crowd run up the street."

The victims and the suspect all knew each other and had just attended the graduation ceremony, police said. A witness said that in the aftermath of the ceremony, police swarmed the area and tempers were flaring. 

"You could tell that knife went through it and there was blood on his tank top and he was really angry," student Rakib Hossain said of the attacker. "They were trying to hold him back, and school safety was up this block." 

Police say one victim, 19, was slashed in the back and hand, a 42-year-old was slashed in the left ear and the third victim, a 17-year-old student, suffered a bite wound in the chest during the fight. They walked to nearby Methodist Hospital, and are expected to be OK. 

A 20-year-old suspect, who is not believed to be a student, is in custody. Charges are pending. 

"I've never seen anything like this," said Hossain. "Little fights but someone getting stabbed -- I've never seen anything like that in my four years in this school." 

A Department of Education spokeswoman said in a statement that police responded immediately to the "serious incident" and that students, staff and families are safe.

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