This browser does not support the Video element.
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.
TACOMA, Wash. - Four students are in critical condition after a stabbing at Foss High School in Tacoma, Washington on Thursday afternoon.
This browser does not support the Video element.
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 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.
Foss High School classes and after-school activities are canceled on Friday, May 1, according to Tacoma Public Schools.
Foss High School students are evacuated from the building after four students were stabbed on April 30, 2026. (FOX 13 Seattle)
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."
This browser does not support the Video element.
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:
FOX 13 Seattle confirmed with the Tacoma Fire Department that there are a total of six patients. Four of them are in critical condition, and the security guard and stabbing suspect have minor injuries. Tacoma Fire has since stated that all patients are in stable condition.
Authorities do not know what was used to stab the victims or where it happened in the school. They are also working to determine if all victims were stabbed, or if they were injured by other means.
Police are working with Tacoma Public Schools officials as the campus remains on lockdown. Officers are evacuating students and reuniting them with their parents in the student parking lot area.
Tacoma Police are on the scene of a stabbing at Foss High School. (FOX 13 Seattle)
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.
MORE NEWS FROM FOX 13 SEATTLE
Meteor lights up the night sky over western Washington and British Columbia
Shots fired near Seattle mayor Katie Wilson's press conference
Nearly 50 Pierce County, WA businesses shut down following fire safety inspections
Shaboozey's Seattle set hitting Paramount Theatre in October
Credit agency puts WA on notice reporting a negative financial outlook
To get the best local news, weather and sports in Seattle for free, sign up for the daily FOX Seattle Newsletter.
Download the free FOX LOCAL app for mobile in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store for live Seattle news, top stories, weather updates and more local and national news.