Five Tacoma Public Schools employees will be honored after they intervened in a stabbing incident at Falls High School that left multiple students and a security guard injured.
TACOMA, Wash. — Five Tacoma Public Schools employees will be honored this week for intervening in an incident. Stabbing incident at Falls High School Four students, a security guard and a teenage suspect were injured.
The Tacoma Police Department will honor these employees at a ceremony Thursday at 6 p.m. Four staff will receive medals of courage for intervening and disregarding their own safety. Another employee will receive a Merit Award for providing life-saving assistance to a seriously injured student.
On April 30, a fight broke out between a group of students before the stabbing.
One victim said all four people who were stabbed had gotten into an argument with the suspect, 16-year-old Waleed Emad Essakhi, over an incident at the skate park the day before. They told police their friend said Esaki had stolen something from him and that one of the students should confront him about it.
Another victim said he heard Esaki took a vape pen from someone, but he didn’t recognize the person.
A relative of Esaki told police she heard the fight also took place over a vape pen.
Security video shows the four victims confronting Esaki, according to charging documents. At one point they formed a semicircle around him. The video shows him slapping his face and bouncing back and forth toward another student “as if trying to get [the student] Strike first. “
Essakhi can then be seen reaching into his pocket and pulling out something. One of the victims and Essakhi lunged at each other and a fight ensued.
A security guard at the high school responded to a call for help and saw the group fighting in the hallway. He grabbed Esaki and disarmed him, getting cut in the process.
Six people, including Esaki, were taken to hospital. At least two people required surgery, according to charging documents.
Esaki is Charges on May 1st Four counts of first-degree assault as an adult. He has pleaded not guilty and his trial is scheduled for June 17.
