2 teens arrested after student, 15, stabbed in Portage la Prairie high school parking lot

Two teens have been arrested after a 15-year-old student was stabbed in the parking lot of a Portage la Prairie high school after class on Thursday, Manitoba RCMP say.

The stabbing happened at Portage Collegiate Institute shortly after classes ended on Thursday afternoon, according to a Friday statement by Portage la Prairie School Division superintendent Pamela Garnham.

A group of students got into a confrontation in the school's parking lot that escalated and led to the stabbing, Garnham's statement said.

Police were sent at around 3:50 p.m. to the school on Third Street SW, where they found an injured boy being treated by paramedics for a stab wound.

The 15-year-old was taken to hospital in stable condition and is expected to make a full recovery, RCMP said in a news release on Friday.

Mounties learned the boy was assaulted and stabbed during a confrontation with two other teens, one of whom was known to the victim. Both of the attackers fled on foot, police said.

The high school in Portage la Prairie, about 80 kilometres west of Winnipeg, was placed in a hold and secure situation, meaning outside doors are locked, as a safety measure, RCMP said.

Officers undertook extensive patrols for the teenage suspects, who were arrested without incident at a Portage la Prairie home at around 4:40 p.m., according to RCMP.

The hold and secure in the school was lifted after 5 p.m., the superintendent said.

Two 14-year-old boys have been charged with a number of offences, including aggravated assault, disguise with intent to commit an offence, carrying a concealed weapon and resisting/obstructing a peace officer.

One of the boys was also charged with failure to comply with a release order, police said. Both were held in custody until their court appearance on Friday.

Counsellors and crisis response teams will be available at schools to provide guidance and support on Friday, the division's superintendent said.

In her statement, Garnham called the incident "concerning," but said the division's schools are safe.

The division is reviewing the incident to identify additional measures that could improve its security protocols, she said.

The stabbing happened days after Manitoba's government ordered all school division in the province to complete safety reviews, following an incident where a student was grabbed by a convicted sex offender in a bathroom at an elementary school in Winnipeg.