UPDATED: No arrest in March 3 stabbing of teen at Highland Park
Just over a week after a teenager was stabbed by a stranger at Highland Park in north Salem, police have not arrested a suspect.
A 19-year-old man was sitting on a bench at the park on Northeast Broadway Street around 3:30 p.m. on Monday, March 3, talking with another person when “a male suspect approached him and stabbed him twice,” according to Salem Police Department spokeswoman Angela Hedrick.
The suspect then ran away. He was seen running on the property of Highland Elementary School, which is across the street from the park to the east, Salem police said in a news release Wednesday afternoon.
The victim was taken to Salem Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Officers searched the area but did not find the suspect. Salem police described him as a male of average height with dark hair and a mustache.
Surveillance video showed the suspect wearing a dark hooded sweatshirt with an Oregon State University emblem, a dark head covering and gray gloves, which he removed as he fled the area. He was last seen wearing a blue, plaid shirt with dark pants and white athletic shoes, according to the police statement.
Police asked anyone with information about the stabbing to call the Salem Police Tip Line at 503-588-8477 and mention case number 25-18839.
The stabbing was first reported by FOX 12.
Asked why Salem police didn’t notify the public at the time, Hedrick said all of the agency’s resources are limited.
“That includes our ability to publish real-time information about all police activity. We strive to be timely about sharing information with the public concerning incidents of homicide, traffic fatalities, and officer-involved shootings,” she said.
This story was updated Wednesday afternoon after Salem police issued a news release which provided additional information about the suspect.
Contact reporter Ardeshir Tabrizian: [email protected] or 503-929-3053.
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Ardeshir Tabrizian has covered the justice system and public safety for Salem Reporter since September 2021. As an Oregon native, his award-winning watchdog journalism has traversed the state. He has done reporting for The Oregonian, Eugene Weekly and Malheur Enterprise.
