By Madina Toure
An 18-year-old boy was stabbed by an alleged gang member in Jackson Heights Monday night, the NYPD said.
At about 8:10 p.m., the victim was playing basketball in Travers Park in the northeast corner of 77th Street and 34th Avenue when a group of roughly 7 to ten males approached him, according to a police spokesman.
One individual asked the victim if he was the member of a particular gang, and when the victim said he was not a few individuals from the group started to assault him, the spokesman said.
The victim started to run away when one of the suspects stabbed him in the back with an unknown weapon, which is believed to be a knife, the spokesman continued.
The group then fled in unknown directions, the official said.
The spokesman said police believed that two or three individuals were responsible for the assault and that one did the stabbing.
The victim was taken to an area hospital by EMS where he was treated and released for his injuries, according to the spokesman.
Police conducted a canvass of the area, but have not yet apprehended anyone, the spokesman said.
The investigation was ongoing, the official said.
Reach reporter Madina Toure by e-mail at mtour
