4 students, security guard injured after stabbing at Foss High School in Tacoma
Apr 30, 2026, 2:11 PM | Updated: May 1, 2026, 12:15 pm
(Photo courtesy of KIRO 7)
(Photo courtesy of KIRO 7)
Four students and a security guard were injured in a stabbing at Foss High School in Tacoma on Thursday.
The stabbings were initially reported at approximately 1:35 p.m., stemming from a fight on the school’s campus on S. Tyler Street, the Tacoma Police Department (TPD) told KIRO Newsradio.
TPD confirmed that the suspect was a student at the school and had been taken into custody. The suspect also sustained injuries during the incident.
Four victims who were in critical condition are now in stable condition, while two others are being evaluated, according to Tacoma Fire Department public information officer Chelsea Shepherd. All victims are expected to survive.
Parent says stabbing at Tacoma school was sparked by vape battery
Dianna Corbin, a parent of a student at Foss High School, told KIRO Newsradio she heard from students that the stabbing was sparked over a vape battery.
“People don’t value life right now, anymore, and according to the kids coming out of the school, who did see it, it was over a vape battery,” she said. “So there’s gonna be potential loss of life just for a vape battery? That seems so idiotic to me.”
Corbin is relieved the situation has been resolved, but called the experience unsettling.
“It’s very stressful, and I feel kind of helpless,” she said.
Cell phone video taken inside the school showed a brawl in progress between four or five kids, presumably students, throwing punches and grappling on the floor.
Foss High School was placed on lockdown, though TPD noted the scene is currently safe while officers investigate.
Law enforcement also searched the school campus to rule out any additional victims.
TPD released students and reunited them with parents in one of the school’s parking lots.
According to Tacoma Public Schools (TPS), classes at Foss will resume on Monday with counselors on hand. A spokesperson for TPS told KIRO Newsradio the incident is still under investigation and discipline has not yet been determined.
Contributing: James Lynch, KIRO Newsradio
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