Police say the 17-year-old used a cord and pencil during a fight with a younger student at Northwestern High School.
ROCK HILL, S.C. — A 17-year-old student has been charged with attempted murder after police say he attacked a younger student during a fight at Northwestern High School, choking him with a cord and stabbing him with a pencil before school employees intervened.
The confrontation happened Sept. 28 at the Rock Hill school, according to police reports and local news accounts. Authorities said the younger student, identified in court-related reporting as 14 years old, suffered a puncture wound. Police said the injuries were not believed to be life-threatening. The 17-year-old has been charged as an adult, but the accusations against him have not been proven in court.
Rock Hill police said the older student used a charging or computer cord in an attempt to strangle the other student and repeatedly struck him in the neck with a pencil. School video captured the altercation, according to a police incident report obtained by local media. A school administrator who was nearby intervened with help from two teachers, the school district said.
School resource officers detained the 17-year-old after the fight. Police said officers found a THC vape in his possession. Authorities also alleged that while he was detained, he continued making threats toward the other student, made statements about harming himself and damaged school property.
Police further alleged that the teen tried to gain access to unspecified items while inside a police vehicle. He was taken to the South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice and initially received a juvenile summons that included allegations of assault and battery, marijuana possession and malicious injury to property.
Investigators later upgraded the assault allegation to attempted murder after reviewing the evidence, according to police. Because of the attempted murder charge, authorities said the 17-year-old is being prosecuted as an adult. Rock Hill police Capt. Brent Allmon told local media that the teen remained in custody after bail was denied during an initial court appearance.
Rock Hill Schools described what happened as a serious physical altercation between students. The district said the administrator and two teachers acted quickly to stop the confrontation and emphasized that student and staff safety remained a priority. A district spokesperson later told local media that the student who was charged was no longer attending the school following his arrest.
The incident drew additional attention after police details became public in early October. Northwestern High School is one of three high schools in the Rock Hill School District. Authorities have not publicly detailed what led to the fight, and the available police accounts do not establish a motive for the alleged attack.
No trial date had been announced as of Sunday. The attempted murder case remains pending, and the 17-year-old is presumed innocent unless convicted. Authorities have not publicly identified the younger student, and additional details about his recovery have not been released.
Author note: Last updated October 11, 2026.