Community Disturbed After Violent Assault at Tahoma HS
Multiple videos have surfaced today depicting an unprovoked, possibly premeditated violent assault between periods at THS. According to videos submitted to Tahoma Parents, a group of girls were conversing in the bathroom. At one point, the assailant asked the victim if she had sprayed water at her. The victim explained that she was simply shaking her hands to dry off, with no intention of flicking water at her. Subsequently, the victim walked to the bathroom door to exit, and another girl appeared to throw what looked like a cup of something at the victim.
The victim then left the bathroom, followed by the assailant and a group of girls recording the incident. The assailant then initiated an extremely brutal assault on the victim, knocking her down defenseless and repeatedly punching her in the head until she was bloody. The assailant then began stomping on the victim's head, resulting in an audible collision of the victim's skull with the concrete floor. The savagery lasted for about 30 seconds with no intervention from staff. As the victim screamed in agony, the assailant's friends could be heard laughing, while other students appeared either disgustingly entertained or frozen in horror.
After the victim's head was stomped on, a group of three young men appeared to look at each other as if mentally communicating how to help, and then stepped in between the victim and the assailant to stop the assault. According to the mother of one of the young men who intervened, "He felt bad he didn’t respond sooner, but wasn’t sure what to do or if he would get in trouble for helping. He said he can’t get the sound of her head hitting the concrete out of his mind."
The victim was reportedly taken to get medical attention after the incident. The district later sent out an email which appears to downplay the situation through wordplay, while creating a false sense of responsiveness.
Parents who viewed the video quickly pointed out the lack of urgency from staff, who appeared to slowly show up only after the assault had ended. It is also noted that the Resource Officer was nowhere to be found during the assault. According to eyewitnesses, the police did eventually show up and apprehend the assailant however.
Circulating reports have stated that the assailant may have a history of problematic behavior, but we have been unable to confirm these rumors. This has led to questions from parents regarding the district's requirements to admit problematic children, and whether they have the resources to protect children from incidents like this upon admission. While we are uncertain if this applies in this case, it is an understandable question given the circumstances.
The most frequent complaint we receive at Tahoma Parents is related to the district's inability to stop bullying and violence. This disgusting incident is another example of the district’s failure to protect our children. It is also a frightening illustration of the poor culture being fostered in our schools.
We have elected to not share the videos out of respect for the victim. Tahoma Parents is asking for any information related to this assault. We are in touch with the victim's family and will provide them with all evidence submitted to help them address this incident through desired legal channels. If you have any information, to include video and/or names of those involved, please contact us at info@tahomaparents.org.
Update 2/16/2023
The Tahoma HS Principal has since put out a letter to parents acknowledging the incident as an “assault” vs an “altercation” after mounting concern. In the letter, Principal Beliveau details steps the school is taking to address these issues.
