Teen charged after 4 students, security guard injured in Washington school stabbing

A 16-year-old student has been charged with first-degree assault after four students and a security guard were injured in a stabbing at a high school in Tacoma, Washington, according to officials and local media.

The stabbing happened on Thursday at Foss High School in Tacoma, about 30 miles south of Seattle, after a fight among students that was stopped by school staff. Six people were injured in all, including the student suspect and a security guard.

Tacoma police spokesperson Shelbie Boyd said the 16-year-old was arrested and taken to Remann Hall Pierce County Juvenile Detention Center.

Police initially said he was arrested on five counts of first-degree assault, but prosecutors are pursuing four counts, one for each of the students who were stabbed, according to court documents cited by The Seattle Times.

Police responded to 911 calls reporting a stabbing in the cafeteria and a school hallway. Surveillance video showed four students surrounding the 16-year-old, who appeared to be trying to provoke them to hit him, according to the court documents.

Police said the 16-year-old and another student lunged at the same time, but the 16-year-old was armed with a knife. The first student he lunged at was stabbed in the chest and later needed part of his lung removed, The Seattle Times reported.

Another student was sliced and stabbed several times, a third student suffered a deep cut to his forearm that required surgery, and a fourth was stabbed in the back. The security guard was cut in the arm while breaking up the fight.

The security guard told police he did not believe the teen cut him on purpose and said the boy apologized afterward, according to the documents.

The suspect also suffered minor injuries. All six people who were injured were taken to hospitals and were in stable condition as of Friday morning, police said.