LINCOLN — A stabbing incident disturbed the many families who flocked to the shores of Olney Pond to escape the heat early Friday afternoon.

People in Lincoln Woods State Park at the time said a boy took out a large knife and gashed another youth with it during a chaotic mingling of dozens of high school boys.

Authorities reported that the victim’s injuries weren’t life-threatening.

Nonetheless, the violence was bloody and ugly enough to mar the outings of the many families who had come to enjoy the pond on one of the first days of the season.

“It used to be a great place for little kids,” said Cheryl Phillips, of Cranston, who had come with her children, including Maxx, 9, and Mya, 6.

Phillips and her older daughter, Ashley Carpenzano, 21, of Cranston, said they arrived around 11:30 a.m. and they immediately noticed a large, boisterous group of teenage boys congregating on a patio. As many as 80 young men were near a cluster of dressing rooms, they said.

“The minute we saw them, we said, ‘Something bad is going to happen in this place,’ ” said Phillips, who noticed an escalating level of poking and physical contact between boys in the group.

“All of a sudden, we saw the kids dispersing all over the beach,” she said.

Witnesses said that someone had pulled out a knife and stabbed another youth with it in the chest and back area.

Carpenzano said she saw the suspected attacker wield the knife at one point and she also saw the victim bleeding heavily after the incident.

Kyle A. Smith, 13, of Providence, said the suspect had been hit in the face with a rock and briefly wrestled with his attacker before he took out the knife and stabbed him.

Smith described a knife with a blade of about 7 to 8 inches, while Carpenzano described a larger weapon that resembled a machete.

“I didn’t expect him to stab him,” said Bill Mountain, another youth from Providence.

Later Friday afternoon, state police Lt. John LaFreniere announced that investigators were looking for a male suspect age 15 to 18 and weighing 150 pounds.

He said the teen was a light-skinned black male, about 5-foot-10, with a short ponytail, wearing a white T-shirt and black shorts.

The police believe the suspect fled on foot; a search of the park did not find him, LaFreniere said.

LaFreniere identified the victim as a 17-year-old Providence boy. He did not release the boy’s name because he was a juvenile.

The boy was taken to Hasbro Children’s Hospital, Providence. LaFreniere was unable to provide an update on the boy’s medical condition.

With reports from Projo.com Staff Writer Michael P. McKinney.

mreynold@projo.com