Boy Stabbed, Officer Injured In Disturbance Outside School

A teenage boy was stabbed and a Prince William County police officer was injured in a melee that broke out last night outside a county high school, the county police said.

The disturbance occurred about 9:30 p.m. in a parking lot at Gar-Field High School, where a basketball competition was apparently held, according to county police.

A helicopter was summoned to take the youth to a hospital.

First Sgt. Kim Chinn, a spokeswoman for the county police, said the boy's injuries were not believed to be life-threatening.

Details of the police officer's injuries were not available immediately, but Chinn said they were believed to be minor.

Chinn said an event known as "Hoops Fest" was held at the school last night.

Irene Cromer, a spokeswoman for the county school system, said no system events were scheduled last night at Gar-Field, and it could not be learned immediately who sponsored the competition.

A story posted on the Web site Insidenova.com said that a Hoops Fest competition would be held last night at Gar-Field. The story indicated that more than 1,000 people attended a similar event held at a different county school last year.

Proceeds from the event were to be put to charitable use, the story indicated.