Father helps son beat and stab another 12-year-old boy

The partisan urge to support our kids in their every endeavour can sometimes conflict with the parental imperative to model good behavior.

But if you find yourself in your forties holding down a pre-teen boy for your son to pummel and stab, it’s safe to say you’ve torn up every parenting manual going.

That’s allegedly what a Washington state dad did last week to advance his son’s cause in an ongoing bitter struggle with a young neighborhood enemy.

Martinez D. Mitchell, 43, is accused of punching a 12-year-old boy and then holding him down for his son, also aged 12, to beat and stab, the Everett Herald reports.

The victim suffered stab wounds to the bicep, wrist and finger in the alleged attack, which took place on Wednesday evening at the Heatherwood Apartments in Mill Creek. He was rushed to hospital in nearby Seattle and is expected to survive.

The two boys had been in contact with police several times over the past few months and were known to be enemies, according to a police report filed in the son’s case.

Both had recently targeted each other with eggs, and officers found fresh splattered eggs at both of the boys’ apartments after responding just after 11 p.m. to a report of a stabbing.

A knife believed to have been used in the attack was also recovered from the scene.

The latest alteraction may have been started over damage to a car, according to witnesses.

Mitchell’s son was found at his apartment after the alleged attack and booked into a juvenile detention center for investigation of first-degree assault. He was released Thursday and placed under house arrest.

Mitchell fled the scene before cops arrived but turned himself in late Friday to face a charge of first-degree assault of a child.

He was being held at the Snohomish County Jail in lieu of $50,000 bond early Monday and also faces a parole violation, according to jail records.