A 21-year-old cheerleading coach at a West Side high school is in serious but stable condition after she was stabbed by a student while trying to break up a fight.
Aiesha Bush says she was trying to interrupt a fight between several female students outside the Al Raby School for Community and Environment when she felt short-winded, ABC Chicago reports.
"I looked at my hand, and it was full of blood," Bush told the station. "From that point, there was nothing else I could do."
Bush was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where her condition is described as "serious," CBS Chicago reports. A 16-year-old girl has been charged as a juvenile with one count of battery for the stabbing.
Police officers say the suspect and another female student were arguing, when the conflict became physical, ultimately involving about 10 other girls, the Chicago Tribune reports. Detectives believe the knife was hidden outside the school and retrieved by the suspect as the fight escalated.
Chicago Public Schools issued a statement, promising to work with police to investigate the matter and "take whatever actions are necessary to ensure that schools remain a safe environment for learning."