Police Say Fairfield Teen Stabbed Stepfather To Protect Mother From Attack

FAIRFIELD (CBS13) - A 15-year-old Fairfield boy is in juvenile hall after reportedly stabbing his stepfather five times in what police say was an attempt to protect his mother.

Late Sunday night, Fairfield police officers responded to reports of a stabbing at a home in the 700 block of Georgia Way.

Officers arrived to find a 29-year-old man who had been stabbed five times in the upper back.

Detectives say the man was stabbed by his 15-year-old stepson, who had witnessed his stepfather hitting his mother several times in the face.

A neighbor said the teen had seen his stepfather beating on his mother before. "He calls the cops all the time when it happens," the neighbor said. "This last time he couldn't do it anymore and stabbed his dad. He just freaked out. He didn't know what to do. He's very protective of his mother. He's a good kid."

The man's injuries were described as serious but non-life threatening.

Police arrested the 15-year-old for assault with a deadly weapon.

Police also requested a charge of felony domestic violence against the stepfather. The stepfather has not been arrested yet due to his injuries but police planned to after he was released from the hospital some time on Monday.

The mother sustained facial injuries but declined medical treatment.

"I get that nobody wants to witness something like that. You have to respond with a reasonable level of force," police Lt. Greg Hurlbut said of why the teen was arrested. "I don't know that if you're watching two people having a fight, you can grab a weapon and go at it.

"The injuries that the female victim sustained don't indicate any kind of a life-threatening incident, which is kind of what you'd need before you can start stabbing somebody."