A violent incident at a high school in Tacoma, Washington, left six people injured on Thursday afternoon, including five students and a security guard. Officials say the attack happened after some kind of “altercation” on campus at Foss High School.
At least 6 injured after stabbing at Washington high school, suspect detained
Emergency teams rushed to the school shortly after 1:30 pm after getting reports of an “active assault,” according to the Tacoma Fire Department. When officers reached the school, four students were found in critical condition with “reported stab wounds,” said Chelsea Shepherd, a spokesperson for the fire department.
Police said a security guard was also hurt in the incident. Another student, believed to be the suspect, was injured as well. Officer Shelbie Boyd from the Tacoma Police Department said that the suspect was taken into custody and sent to the hospital along with the others.
All victims later reported stable
While the injuries initially appeared severe, there was some relief later in the day. By around 4 pm officials confirmed that all six people who were hurt were in stable condition. Authorities said the incident took place somewhere “on the campus,” but it wasn’t immediately clear if it happened inside a building or outside.
Fire crews initially located one injured person outside the school before entering the building to treat additional victims, Shepherd said.
The injured were taken to nearby medical centres, including MultiCare Tacoma General Hospital and MultiCare Allenmore Hospital. A spokesperson for MultiCare, Scott Thompson, said the hospitals received patients from the incident but did not share details about their conditions.
School locked down
The school has been put under lockdown as of now. A spokesperson for Foss High School said parents would have been notified if their child was directly involved. Later, parents were allowed to come to the school and take their children home. Students were officially dismissed at 2:45 pm.
This is not the first time Foss High School has seen such violence. In January 2007, a 17-year-old student, Samnang Kok, was shot and killed in a school hallway. Another student, 18-year-old Douglas Chanthabouly, was later found guilty of second-degree murder and sentenced to 23 years in prison.