Tacoma student, 16, charged in Foss High School stabbing, will be tried as adult
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A student was charged with four counts of first-degree assault with a deadly weapon Thursday following a stabbing at Foss High School in Tacoma, Washington, that injured four students and a security guard.
According to authorities, the suspect was identified as Waleed Emad Essakhi and was arrested shortly after the incident.
Essakhi was charged Friday in Pierce County Superior Court, where he was ordered to be tried as an adult.
According to court documents, the student allegedly stole a vape pen from a fellow student at a skate park the day before. Four of the student’s friends then approached him in retaliation.
One of the victims claimed Essakhi “provoked” them to fight him by slapping him in the face.
State security camera footage showed the suspect allegedly pulling an object from his pocket before four students began fighting with him, the court heard. None of the victims were armed.
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Waleed Emad Essakhi, 16, was charged with four counts of first-degree assault following a stabbing at Foss High School on Thursday. (Getty Images)
Staff and security guards stepped in to break up the fight.
Students were injured with knives and their lips were cut, and the security guard’s arm was cut. One of the victims was stabbed in the side and underwent emergency surgery to remove part of his lung, while another student underwent surgery for a cut on his arm.
Authorities initially said multiple victims suffered critical and non-critical injuries.
The suspect’s mother said her son had recently been transferred to Foss High School after being bullied and fighting at his previous school.
Tacoma Public Schools said the campus was quarantined at 1:38 p.m., with students later released at 2:45 p.m.
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Students reacted to the stabbing incident at a high school in Tacoma, Washington. (KCPQ)
The school was used as a reunion site for families, and classes and events were canceled the next day. Counselors have been assigned to support students and staff.
During the hearing, a not guilty plea was entered on Essakhi’s behalf and bail was set at $75,000.
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“Although these are just allegations at the moment, the allegations are worrying,” deputy prosecutor Lena Berberich-Eerebout said at the hearing. “The state has serious concerns for community safety due to his erratic behavior and setting high bail is appropriate.”
The omnibus hearing will be held on June 1, and the jury trial will be held on June 17.
