Teen arrested in fatal stabbing at Wasilla theater, police say

A teenager was arrested Monday in relation to a fatal stabbing during a fight at a Wasilla movie theater earlier this month, police said.

The Wasilla Police Department announced the arrest in a statement Monday that said only a “juvenile” was arrested by the department, in conjunction with the state Division of Juvenile Justice and the Palmer District Attorney’s Office. Police said they were not releasing the person’s name or what charges they are facing because they are a juvenile.

Few additional details were immediately available, including the suspect’s age, gender or why the arrest wasn’t made until Monday, 10 days after the stabbing occurred.

A spokeswoman for the department on Monday said she could not answer additional questions about the case, including whether the victim or suspect were acquainted or what sparked the fight that led to the stabbing.

In initial reports about the incident, police said one teenager was stabbed after a fight involving multiple teenagers broke out inside a Valley Cinema theater on April 12. The injured teen was transported to Mat-Su Regional Medical Center for emergency treatment but died after being flown for additional care to Providence Alaska Medical Center, police said.

A person described by police as the suspect stayed on scene and cooperated with officers, but was not immediately arrested, police said. The stabbing was investigated as a homicide, but police did not identify the suspect or victim because both are juveniles.

The teen arrested on Monday was remanded to the Mat-Su Youth Facility, police said. The detention facility houses up to 15 juveniles and is located in Palmer.

Juvenile justice proceedings are generally confidential, but Alaska state law automatically waives juveniles age 16 or older into adult court if they are facing an unclassified felony charge, including murder.