Students, security guard stabbed at Foss High School in Tacoma, WA
Students stabbed, causing lockdown at Foss High School in Tacoma
Four students were serious injured in a stabbing at Foss High School Thursday afternoon, and a students has been arrested and booked on five counts of first-degree assault.
TACOMA, Wash. - Four students are in critical condition after a stabbing at Foss High School in Tacoma, Washington on Thursday afternoon.
5 people stabbed at Foss High School in Tacoma
Five people, including four students and a security guard, were injured during a fight at Tacoma's Foss High School on Thursday, prompting a lockdown.
Officers responded to a call about a stabbing stemming from a fight inside Foss High School and found four students and a security guard injured. Officers then located and arrested the suspect, who was identified as a student.
The four students who were stabbed are in critical, but stable condition, according to the Tacoma Fire Department. The security guard and the stabbing suspect suffered minor injuries.
Authorities are still investigating what led up to the attack, what kind of weapon was used, or where inside the school it occurred. Tacoma Police say all victims were cut or stabbed.
The suspect has since been booked into the Pierce County Jail on five counts of first-degree assault, currently being held on $750,000 bail.
Foss High School students are evacuated from the building after four students were stabbed on April 30, 2026. (FOX 13 Seattle)
Foss High School classes and after-school activities were canceled on Friday.
Foss High School students describe stabbing incident
What they're saying:
FOX 13 Seattle reporter Dan Griffin was at the scene speaking with witnesses.
"So basically, this one guy, he took somebody’s vape pen, and they didn’t like that, so they were going to jump him — or they did I think. And he had a knife and he shanked four kids and one adult," said Analayjha, a 9th grader at Foss High School.
She said she did not see the incident, but heard about it.
"It’s ghetto. Why are we stealing from people?" Analayjha told FOX 13 Seattle. "And especially, carrying a weapon to school and killing people is crazy, not going to lie."
Students, neighbors react to stabbing at Tacoma's Foss High School
Students at Foss High School weigh in on a stabbing that injured five people and put the school into lockdown Thursday afternoon.
Griffin spoke to a second student, Imonie, about her account of the situation. She said a video of the fight was sent to other students at the school.
"In class we hear, ‘This is a lockdown,’ and everybody’s like, ‘What is going on?’ And then all of a sudden I see the video AirDropped to my friend’s phone, and we see the whole video happen — the whole fight and stuff — and it was just crazy. It was so bad, there was blood everywhere. And then I heard that, basically, the person who had the knife was — I don’t even know. They said it was some older kid that had already been to jail and stuff, so they came in with a knife. They only fought because over a puff," said Imonie, a 9th grader at Foss High School.
Map of Foss High School in Tacoma, Washington.
Foss High School stabbing
What we know:
A total of five people were stabbed at Foss High School. Four students and a security guard were cut or stabbed, the Tacoma Fire Department confirmed.
The four students are in critical condition, and the security guard suffered non-life-threatening injuries. The stabbing suspect also had minor injuries. All patients are in stable condition, meaning their conditions are now worsening at this time.
The suspect was booked into Pierce County Jail on five counts of first-degree assault. He is currently being held on $750,000 bail and ordered to not have contact with any of the stabbing victims.
Police are working with Tacoma Public Schools officials as the investigation continues. Officers evacuated students and reunited them with their parents in the parking lot as the school remained on lockdown.
Student in custody after stabbing at Foss High School
Six people, including five students and a security guard, were transported to local hospitals after a stabbing at Foss High School in Tacoma. Police have a student suspect in custody following the incident, which reportedly began as a dispute over a vape pen. Classes and after-school activities have been canceled for tomorrow as the investigation continues.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
The Source: Information in this story comes from the Tacoma Fire Department and the Tacoma Police Department.
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