Teen stabbed at SW Redmond playground; 3 teens arrested

(Update: Two teens arraigned on DA’s charges)

Three teens wearing bandanas over their faces attacked four teens playing tag at a southwest Redmond park Saturday night, injuring two with a box-cutter and brass knuckles and leading to the arrests of the assailants at a Redmond home, police said late Sunday.

Redmond police Lt. Jesse Petersen said the attack occurred shortly before 7:30 p.m. Saturday, when four teen males, three from Culver and one from Redmond, were playing tag at Hope Playground, an all-inclusive playground that opened in 2015 at Sam Johnson Park, 333 Southwest 15th Street.

One of the attackers, later identified as Isiah Laack, 18, of Redmond, used brass knuckles to assault a 16-year-old Culver boy, Petersen said.

Another suspect, later identified as 18-year-old Noah Huber of Redmond, allegedly used a box-cutter to stab a 15-year-old Redmond boy, causing a non-life-threatening injury, Petersen said.

The two victims and their friends ran to the nearby McDonald’s in the Nolan Town Center, where they called police. Petersen said medics took the 15-year-old to St. Charles Redmond, where he was treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

Redmond police and Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies responded to the playground, set up a perimeter and conducted an extensive search of the area, including Bend police Officer Victor Umnitz and his K-9 partner, Rony. They also reviewed video surveillance of the playground.

That led to the identification of three suspects, including Laack, Huber and a 15-year-old boy from Bend, Petersen said.

The three teens were found at a Redmond home and interviewed about the stabbing. Petersen said in a news release they “learned the suspects in this case did not know the victims, and it was an unprovoked assault.”

Deschutes County District Attorney John Hummel said Huber and Laack were arraigned Monday on the DA’s initial charges of first-degree attempted assault, second- and third-degree assault and unlawful use of a weapon.

The court set bail at $100,000 and ordered that if Huber posted bail, he was to be on house arrest, while Laack would be on GPS monitoring if he posted bail.

Both are scheduled to return to court in a week for arraignment on expected indictments after a grand jury reviews the case, Hummel said.

The 15-year-old male juvenile was arrested on charges of third-degree assault, second-degree disorderly conduct and unlawful possession of a weapon.

Redmond police reminded residents to call dispatch at 541-639-6911 any time they see something or someone that appears to be suspicious, or 911 for emergencies.

Petersen also noted that Redmond police also have increased police presence in the parks with full-time officers, as well as four dedicated cadet officers patrolling the parks during the summer.

“We would also like to remind our community members that the parks are closed from one hour after sunset until sunrise,” Petersen said in the news release.

Redmond police thanked the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office and Bend Police Department for their assistance in the investigation.