According to reports from the Dover police department, a 14-year-old suspect is in custody. The boy was arrested for assault. Officers claim that he used a weapon to stab someone.

Police reports suggest that on Thursday July 25 the boy stabbed a 19-year-old man just above his right eye. Officers say that the stabbing occurred sometime around 6:30 PM. The stabbing occurred near the basketball courts in Capitol Green.

The area is in the vicinity of New Castle Avenue and Water Street in Dover, Delaware. The suspect was arrested shortly after the crime occurred. Currently the teenager is committed at Stevenson House. He is being held on a secured bond of $50,000.

Cases involving individuals who are legally children are often controversial. People sometimes feel that the law treats them too harshly. Many jurisdictions have special arrangements for youngsters who were arrested. Juvenile detention centers exist for precisely this reason.

Nevertheless, many voices will agree that the law shouldn't be lenient on people just because of their age. Some have suggested that leniency in early years will lead to crime later in life. Few individuals would like to see children start off on a criminal path early. That's more or less the point behind the idea of the juvenile corrections system.

A few commentators have brought up some other controversial legal questions that a case like this one opens up. Individuals with that amount of an age gap generally do not make for that much of a contest. People considerably older than a child are usually able to defend themselves. However, under the law such defense can sometimes be construed as assault. Defense can sometimes be difficult to prove in court, especially when there is some chance that the victim might actually have provoked the attacker in the first place.

Currently the reasons behind the act of violence are not known. In many cases provocation happens before a fight. By provoking someone an act of violence might later arise. Being aware of surroundings and avoiding provocations are important aspects of preventing violence before they happen.