Queens

11-Year-Old Student Victim of Knife-Wielding Robber in Queens School Bathroom

Police said the suspect gained entry to Robert A. Van Wyck Junior High School on Wednesday afternoon

Police released a sketch and surveillance image of a suspect wanted for using a knife to threaten multiple people in Queens.

The search is on for an armed assailant wanted in connection with two crimes, including getting into a middle school and threatening a student with a knife.

Police said the knife-wielding individual, described by the Department of Education as a young person, pointed the knife at the 11-year-old's chest inside a bathroom at Robert A. Van Wyck Junior High School in Queens on Wednesday afternoon. The suspect reportedly gained entry to the school around 2:30 p.m.

The armed person is accused of demanding money from the young student and, when the boy said he didn't have any, took the 11-year-old's water bottle and fled the grounds.

Police said the student was not physically injured during the altercation.

The suspect's mission didn't end at the school, according to police. Five minutes later, the suspect is accused of arguing with a 51-year-old man and lunging at the victim's throat with the knife. The weapon did not make contact with his neck, so the assailant continued attacking with the knife, cutting the victim's jacket several times.

The 51-year-old didn't report any injuries after the suspect fled, but not before throwing a water bottle at the victim.

A final altercation happened in the nearby vicinity at a deli on 85th Avenue and Parsons Boulevard, according to police.

A spokesperson for the city's school said Saturday, "We are working closely with the NYPD and school community to investigate and ensure the building is safe.”

The NYPD released wanted posters of the suspect over the weekend as their investigation continued.

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