Police seek info on stabbing of teen on Halloween

LACONIA — A teenage boy was sent to the hospital after being stabbed in the chest last weekend. Police say he was jumped by three people wearing ski masks on Halloween night.

Laconia Police responded to an area off Moulton Street, near the railroad tracks in Lakeport, at 10:57 p.m. on Oct. 31, where a 15-year-old male reported the assault took place. He told police he was walking home on Union Avenue, went down Moulton, and the alleged assailants approached him. Police Chief Matt Canfield said it appears the assailants knew the boy, because they called him by name.

“In response to that, he pulled out a small pocket knife to defend himself,” Canfield said.

Canfield said one of masked people grabbed the knife during the scuffle, and the teen was slashed in the chest. Canfield confirmed it was a “stab wound” and a “definite puncture.”

For reasons unknown, Canfield said the masked people fled the scene and left the teen, who walked home. His father took him to Concord Hospital-Laconia to be treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

Police are working to identify the circumstances surrounding the incident. While there are not yet any suspects or people of interest, Canfield doesn’t believe it was random. Police are checking cameras in the area, but Canfield said there aren’t many. It is also “not known to be a problem area.”

The ages of the assailants are unknown because they were masked, but the victim heard their voices. Canfield said the teen wasn’t robbed, and he was unsure of the intentions.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Laconia Crime Line at 603-527-1717 or leave an anonymous tip on the Tip 411 app.