A juvenile student faces five counts of first-degree assault following a lunchtime stabbing spree Thursday at Foss High School in Tacoma that left four classmates and a security guard wounded, authorities said.
Four of the five victims were hospitalized in critical condition immediately after the attack. The suspect, also injured during the incident, received treatment and was booked into Pierce County Jail on Thursday. By Friday, all victims had stabilized, officials reported.
Police responded to the Tacoma school after reports of a student fight around lunchtime. One parent told KIRO News Radio the confrontation apparently erupted over a vaping device battery. "There's going to be potential loss of life just for a vape battery? That seems so idiotic," the parent said.
Foss High School students who witnessed the violence described a chaotic scene. One student told Fox 13 Seattle: "It was just crazy. It was so bad. There was blood everywhere." Cellphone video of the altercation circulated among classmates.
School officials locked down the campus and evacuated students, who were quickly reunited with parents. The district canceled all classes and after-school activities through Friday and will deploy counselors and additional staff to campus Monday. "We are grateful for the quick, calm action of our staff and our first responders," the Tacoma Public Schools spokesman said.
Police have not disclosed details about the weapon used in the attack or confirmed whether the suspect remained in custody Friday morning. The district has not released the names of those injured.
Foss High School, which serves about 557 students roughly 40 miles south of Seattle, was also the site of a fatal school shooting in 2007. A 17-year-old student killed a classmate in a crowded hallway and received a 23-year prison sentence.
Author James Rodriguez: "A vaping battery sparked a stabbing rampage that nearly killed multiple teenagers. The speed of escalation from a petty dispute to mass violence is the chilling question schools can't seem to answer."
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