Tacoma Police investigating robberies targeting students

TACOMA, Wash. – A letter sent home to Stadium High School families warns students to be aware of their surroundings after multiple children have been the target of robbers.

None of the robberies occurred on school property according to Principal Kevin Ikeda.

The letter was distributed Friday and warned students should not be walking alone when leaving campus.

Four incidents were noted in the letter, either robberies or assaults, happening in both the Stadium Business District and Wright Park areas after school hours.

“These are serious cases and have resulted in injuries to our students,” the letter said. “Our School Resource Office and our district’s Safety & Security Department are aware of the incidents. Our School Patrol will have increased awareness patrols in the area.”

Tacoma Police said detectives are currently investigating two incidents, an armed robbery and an attempted robbery but have yet to hear from more victims.

“We have heard through rumors where there might have been a couple of more instances of people having phones taken but they have not reported these to police,” said officer Wendy Haddow. “Detectives have yet to contact any victims to verify that this has actually occurred.”

Ikeda’s letter said officials had spoken with several students and helped report incidents to the Tacoma Police Department.

“Because the district surrounding our school has generally been a very safe area and the fact these cases have occurred in such a short time frame, it’s possible some or all of the cases are related,” Ikeda wrote.

So far, Tacoma Police do not believe the two incidents are related.

The latest incident happened last Thursday inside Wright Park where investigators say three men in their 20’s tried to steal a student’s backpack around 4:30 in the afternoon. They were not successful.

Two days prior, say police, two teen boys used a weapon to steal a student’s backpack about 2:40 in the afternoon along the 200 block of North G Street.

“Walk with a buddy, make sure that you’re paying attention to your surroundings,” said Haddow. “Don’t walk and text on your phone.”

Anyone with information about the incidents are being asked to contact Tacoma Police.