An 18-year-old was fatally stabbed during a large fight outside an Alexandria shopping center Tuesday, police said.

       A fight involving 30 to 50 people broke out around midday outside a McDonald’s at the Bradlee Shopping Center, in the 3600 block of King Street, police said. First responders transported an 18-year-old man who was stabbed to the hospital, where he later died, Alexandria police spokesman Marcel Bassett said. Police said they believed he was a student at Alexandria City High School, and several students at the shopping center said he was a classmate.

       Wp Get the full experience.Choose your plan ArrowRight

       David Davis, who witnessed the brawl from outside one of the shops, said dozens of high school students quickly dispersed when police arrived at the scene. Davis was manning a stall for Law Enforcement Against Drugs and Violence, a nonprofit, and had put up a sign saying, “Stop school violence.”

       Advertisement

       He said a group of five male students was chatting outside the Starbucks when another young man came up to them. After a brief exchange, the young man told the group, “Okay, you be right there. My boy’ll fix that,” Davis said.

       He said that less than five minutes later, he saw a group of young people gathering at a bus stop.

       “That’s where it all, you know, started getting busy,” Davis said. “They left from the bus stop, and I guess the fight broke out from there, ended up in the middle of the parking lot.” He said he saw some young women crying and young men who appeared to be hurt.

       “I went to tell them, ‘Hey, man, stay here. Stay away from all that,’ ” Davis said. “My job was to try to protect the ones I could protect.”

       Alexandria police are investigating and requested that anyone with information contact the department at 703-746-4444. No arrests have been made. The 18-year-old’s family was notified of his slaying, Bassett said, though he declined to release his identity.

       Advertisement

       Alexandria City High School’s nearby campuses were placed in “secure the building” status on Tuesday afternoon. Officials canceled after-school activities, and students were escorted in small groups to the exits, according to a statement from school officials.

       “All of a sudden, the cops just came out from everywhere. It was wild,” said Cindy Clemmer, of Alexandria, who said she was driving into the shopping center when she saw “at least 20 kids” brawling.

       Police had been to the area for violent incidents previously. In September, a juvenile was shot and wounded after a fight broke out, police said in a tweet. In October, a man was injured and a juvenile was arrested after another fight, according to the news website ALXnow.

       Hannah Natanson and Nicole Asbury contributed to this report.