A violent altercation at an apartment complex in northwest Houston has left a teenage girl fighting for her life and led to the arrest of a woman. Police were called to the scene as the situation unfolded, and crews were on site reporting on the breaking incident. What began as a personal conflict ended with one young woman gravely hurt and another in custody.
According to police, the violence did not begin over money or a robbery, but over a personal matter. Investigators say the confrontation grew out of a fight over a boy. That dispute, between the people involved, escalated from an argument into a physical altercation that quickly turned dangerous.
Investigators have since filled in more of the timeline. Police say the victim, the suspect and another friend had been out at a pool party before returning to the complex, the Vintage at 18th Street apartments on Seaspray Court. It was back at the apartment, just before 1 o'clock in the morning, that the two women got into the argument that turned violent.
The decisive moment took place indoors. Police say the victim was stabbed in the temple by the suspect during another fight that broke out inside the apartment. The fact that the wound was to the head, one of the most vulnerable parts of the body, made clear from the outset how serious the attack had been.
Wounded, the victim did not stay inside. After being stabbed, she ran out of the apartment and into the parking lot of the complex, apparently trying to get away or to find help. It was there, out in the open, that her injuries overcame her and she collapsed.
In those first moments, it was ordinary people who stepped in. As the young woman lay in the parking lot, residents of the complex rushed to try to help her, doing what they could before trained medical crews could reach the scene. Their efforts came at a critical time, while she waited for an ambulance.
Emergency responders eventually arrived and took over her care. An ambulance transported the victim to the hospital, where her condition remained extremely serious. Police say the young woman, an 18-year-old girl, is now on life support, an indication of just how grave her injuries are.
On the other side of the case, authorities have already detained a suspect. A woman in her early twenties has been taken into custody in connection with the stabbing. Police say she remained at the scene and is cooperating with investigators, who were seen questioning a woman in handcuffs before taking her away. Officers stayed at the apartment complex piecing together exactly what happened, as the investigation into the attack continued to develop.