Stabbing At The Mall

We wondered what all the helicopters were out for yesterday afternoon. Here's the release (pdf) from HoCo PD:

Howard County Police are investigating a stabbing incident that occurred at the Mall in Columbia this afternoon. The incident occurred in the parking lot just outside of JC Penney.

Just before 4 p.m., police responded to mall, located at 10300 Little Patuxent Parkway, for a report that a male victim had been stabbed multiple times. The victim, age 17, whose identity is not being released, was transported by helicopter to Shock Trauma. His condition is believed to be critical at this time.

Police are detaining two teenage male subjects a short distance from the mall and believe they are involved in the incident. Police believe there was a dispute, but do not have any additional details at this time.

Investigators are working to determine whether the suspect and victim are known to one another.

A story in the Sun said General Growth Properties Inc., which runs The Mall in Columbia and a chain of malls nationwide, said the incident would spark a review of the mall's safety measures.

"Upping the amount of security at a property is always an option," David Keating, director of corporate communications for General Growth, which is based in Chicago, told the paper. "But that mall is very quiet. It's one of our top malls. I know that customer safety has always been a priority."