Four children stabbed at school

A man who rambled and said ‘‘stuff that made no sense’’ stabbed four children at an elementary school in Alaska before he was subdued by police, authorities and witnesses said.

Four boys were stabbed in the neck, police spokesman Ron McGee said. They were in a serious condition in hospital after surgery.

One of the children was stabbed outside Mountain View Elementary School, Anchorage as students waited in the playground for breakfast yesterday, said police Chief Walt Monegan.

Students ran into the school and the suspect followed, attacking three more children inside a classroom where they were hiding with a teacher.

The suspect was identified as 33-year-old Jason Pritchard of Anchorage. He was charged with four counts of first-degree attempted murder and four counts of first-degree assault. He was being held on $2m (£1.4m) bail.

Police shot Pritchard with three rubber bullets and took him into custody inside the school. He was treated at a hospital for bullet wounds.

McGee said he appeared delusional when the attack occurred.

‘‘I’ve heard reports that he was muttering things about taking people back to God,’’ McGee said.

Randy Smith, chairman of the local community patrol, was among the first to arrive on the scene. He found the suspect in a classroom with a teacher and an injured boy.

‘‘He was threatening everybody. He came towards us a couple of times. We kept him from getting out of the classroom,’’ Smith said. ‘‘He was rambling and saying religious stuff, stuff that made no sense.’’

The man had broken a window on a classroom door and had thrown desks into the hallway, Smith said.

‘‘There was glass everywhere. The kid was crying on the floor. It was pretty confusing,’’ Smith said.

Pupil Ashley Smith, 11, said her brothers Billy Moy, eight, and Eric Moy, nine, were both cut on the throat. Her grandfather, Keith Leonard, said both boys underwent surgery and were doing well.

The other children were identified as Cody Brown, eight, and Stephan Hansell, seven.

Pritchard had a criminal history dating back to at least 1994 involving criminal trespass, driving while intoxicated and one charge of assault, which was dismissed, McGee said.