A man claiming to be a military official entered Roosevelt High School in Seattle with weapons, saying he was there to 'protect the children'. He was arrested by police after school staff confronted him and initiated a shelter-in-place order. The suspect allegedly had a taser, other weapons, and a notebook with 'mass casualty' written inside.
A man carrying weapons and claiming to be a military official was arrested Thursday after entering Roosevelt High School and saying he was there to 'protect the children,' the Seattle Police Department reports. School district staff said the suspect appeared to be going through a mental health crisis. 'We were here in a heartbeat. We were kind of terrified when we heard about it,' Seattle Public School s parent River Lightfoot told KOMO News. 'There wasn’t much info at the time, either.
' Lightfoot explained he rushed to Roosevelt High School once learning the campus went into a shelter-in-place, knowing his 9th-grade student was inside.The Seattle Police report states school security called officers for a man who entered the main office, claiming to be military and an agent with the U.S. Court of Appeals, saying he was there to 'protect the children.' 'We were just wondering how he could have gone inside, if he like followed someone in or something,' added a high school student. 'I was a little scared just because I had no clue what was going on.' The report says the suspect was confronted several times inside the school by the principal, vice principal, and others, but he kept walking away. Security said he even tried to handcuff the vice principal as the school entered a shelter-in-place order. The suspect allegedly had a taser and other weapons with him, and a notebook with the message 'mass casualty' written inside. An attorney appeared on behalf of the suspect for the first court appearance in a King County courtroom. The defense argued there was no criminal intent for some of the allegations. The judge disagreed and determined there was probable cause to charge him with criminal impersonation, bringing dangerous weapons onto a school facility, burglary, and harassment.Roosevelt Principal Tami Brewer did not mention all the details of what happened from the police report in a letter to families. She noted this person was confused and likely severely mentally ill, that there were three security staff present, and that the shelter-in-place was 'implemented without error.' 'I know they have a buzzer system. Maybe put a doorman in place to help out a little bit,' Lightfoot responded. KOMO News asked the school district how this man got onto campus and whether they need to review security procedures. SPS did not respond as of Friday evening.Dear Roosevelt Families, Students and Staff, I am here at work tonight responding to all families and students who have had concerns, questions, and worries. Thank you. I am grateful for each contact I have been able to have and the time you have taken to reach out. I am hearing from you that many students have heard or seen images of what occurred this afternoon when a mentally ill individual gained access to our campus and began to act erratically. As I have been sharing with those who I have spoken with or emailed with tonight, I want you and your students to know that at no time today was any student in harm's way and at no time were firearms or ammunition found on the individual that gained access to Roosevelt. Below is additional information I have shared in part with many tonight. We will also share this information with your students in the morning. Right around 1:20pm, a confused individual gained access to RHS. Three SPS Security Officers, Mr. Brooks and I became aware of the situation in the main office where the man was acting erratically. Our team managed the individual, called for a shelter in place, and waited for police to arrive. When police did arrive, they immediately placed the man under arrest for entering the school and refusing to leave. Administrators and security staff provided reports to police, and police conducted a search of the individual just off of the school campus. While on campus, this person never brandished a weapon or threatened to harm anyone. I was standing a foot away from the man during most of the time he was in the building as was our Security team and Mr. Brooks the Assistant Principal. The adult was never able to get near a student, but they were confused and likely are severely mentally Ill. The school wide shelter-in-place was implemented without error by our fantastic faculty and staff. It did exactly what it is intended to do by keeping our students safe as police, security and administrators handled the situation. I cannot thank our staff, students and SPD partners enough for how they responded. There have been rumors, pictures, and videos circulating about the community on social media and via text communication showing this person as the Seattle Police Department made the arrest. The police indeed found concerning items in his pockets and backpack when they searched him but qualified them as “non-lethal” item
SUSPECT SCHOOL WEAPONS SEATTLE POLICE ARREST SHELTER-IN-PLACE MENTAL HEALTH CHILD PROTECTION
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Man Arrested for Threatening Staff at Seattle High School, Forcing LockdownA 32-year-old man, Youngmin Choi, was arrested after allegedly entering Roosevelt High School in Seattle, threatening staff and forcing the school into lockdown. Choi claimed to be an agent of the U.S. Court of Appeals, threatened to arrest people, and showed staff his handcuffs. Police found Choi wearing a combat vest with a Taser and pepper spray, and carrying a card identifying him as a representative of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces. A notebook with Korean script and the words 'mass casualty' in English was also recovered from his backpack.
Read more »
Jackson School District Considers Closing Middle School, Merging High Schools to Tackle Budget CrisisFacing a looming $13 million budget shortfall, the Jackson Board of Education is exploring a controversial proposal to close one middle school and merge the district's two high schools. The plan, driven by state aid cuts and declining enrollment, would see Goetz Middle School shut down and potentially sold or rented. McAuliffe Middle School would become the sole upper elementary school for grades 5 and 6, while Jackson Memorial High School would house seventh and eighth graders. Jackson Liberty High School would then serve as the single high school for grades 9-12.
Read more »
Thousands March to Honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at Seattle High SchoolA large-scale rally and march were held at Garfield High School in Seattle to celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The event featured speakers, a march, and a job fair, emphasizing community upliftment and re-entry opportunities.
Read more »
Man claiming to 'protect the children' arrested at Seattle school with handcuffs, weaponsA man carrying weapons and claiming to be a military official was arrested Thursday after entering Roosevelt High School and saying he was there to 'protect th
Read more »
Chagrin Falls High School will offer a Robotics elective next school yearRobotics will be a new elective class at Chagrin Falls High School next school year.
Read more »
High School Runner Loses Varsity Spot to Transgender Athlete, Parents Sue School DistrictA California high school cross-country runner lost her varsity spot to a transgender athlete, sparking a lawsuit against the school district from the runner's family and other parents.
Read more »