The alleged attacker is a 16-year-old student.
By Catholics for Catholics
A Tacoma, Washington State High School student appeared in court Friday afternoon after he allegedly injured five people, including himself, in a stabbing spree during school hours.
Prosecutors charged Waleed Emad Essakhi, 16, with four counts of first-degree assault for the attack that occurred Thursday afternoon. The prosecutors allege that four of the victims were students who knew Essakhi, while the fifth victim was a security guard that interfered during the stabbing.
After the incident, Essakhi was booked on five counts of first-degree assault after four students and an adult security guard were wounded in a stabbing at the school Thursday, police said, according to a story by Newsmax.
The Tacoma Fire Department transported five people Thursday to hospitals from Foss High School, with four of the patients in critical condition and one with minor injuries, said Chelsea Shepherd, a spokesperson for the department.
A sixth person was in police custody and taken to a hospital with minor injuries, she said. All were in stable condition as of late afternoon.
😳 6 STUDENTS STABBED AT FOSS HIGH SCHOOL MULTIPLE IN CRITICAL CONDITION (Students on scene say it started over a vape) #tacoma video credit @fox13seattle pic.twitter.com/NGKrGF2wiH
— SEATTLESUBMISSIONS (@SEATTLESUBMISS) April 30, 2026
Shelbie Boyd, spokesperson for the Tacoma Police Department, said that of the victims were either stabbed or cut. Essakhi was among those cut in the fracas.
School officials put the learning center into lockdown at 1:38 p.m. after the altercation began and students were safely dismissed at 2:45 p.m., Tacoma Public Schools said in a statement.
“The school is secure, and we are currently investigating,” Boyd said, adding that a reunification area had been set up at the school for parents to pick up their students.
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