Attack raises doubts at school
An attempted murder case in which a Harvard-Westlake School student attacked a classmate with a hammer has roiled the exclusive college preparatory campus nestled in Coldwater Canyon and raised questions about whether more could have been done to prevent it.
Parents said they were pressing administrators to explain what system was in place to identify troubled students and whether red flags about this particular 17-year-old's behavior were taken seriously.
As classmates rallied to the beaten 18-year-old student's bedside with flowers and get-well cards, they also spoke of her alleged assailant as someone who seemed to prefer being left alone and anguished about school and his personal issues.
"People really tried to reach him, but he just wasn't receptive," said one student, who spoke on the condition that he not be named because the school had told students not to speak to the media about the incident. "He was always the odd man out."
No one, however, could recall previous violent incidents directed at himself or others.
Friends and family of the victim said they believe that the girl was targeted, even though the two shared only a few conversations.
The victim's mother said the suspect struck her daughter 40 times with a claw hammer, breaking her nose, shattering her leg and splitting open her scalp in several places.
The boy's attorney, Patrick Smith, said his client was suffering from troubles but would not provide details. He added that the boy, who lives in Beverly Hills, pursued social activities and had close friends both in and out of school.
Harvard-Westlake is a tightknit community, and most students and adults would speak only on the condition that their names not be used.
Fellow students said they made a concerted effort to get to know the alleged attacker, sitting with him at lunch and trying to draw him out.
School officials, the students said, had encouraged the boy to become more involved in extracurricular activities and to join a peer support group. He took up fencing and mounted a short-lived campaign for student body president.
Harvard-Westlake administrators Friday did not return calls seeking comment. But in an interview Wednesday, President Thomas Hudnut said the school had in place sufficient security systems to protect students and supportive services for students with problems.
