Two people were taken into custody in connection to a threat that forced students to evacuate a Seattle-area high school last week, according to KIRO 7.
The Seattle Police Department announced that they arrested a 17-year-old and a 21-year-old at an Auburn hotel on Thursday (December 15). Rainier Beach High School canceled classes Wednesday (December 13), postponed a basketball game, and evacuated an entire building due to the threat made on December 12.
Officials confirmed the suspects aren't students at the school. They also recovered two handguns, an extended magazine, a drum magazine, and ammunition from the hotel room. Police said information from a student actually helped them with their investigation.
“I understand it can sometimes be scary and you don’t want to be a tattletale, a rat, a nark, whatever you wanna call it," Detective Valarie Carson said. "But there are always ways to do it discreetly and safely, and it’s so important because it can save someone’s life or multiple people’s lives."
The 21-year-old was booked into King County Jail for unlawful possession of a firearm, while the 17-year-old was taken to the King County Children and Family Justice Center for felony domestic violence harassment.
These threats come over a month after a 14-year-old student fatally shot another student at Ingraham High School. The intense incidents have also raised concerns from parents about school safety.
“I think that this is an opportunity for our public officials to really come and show up and show how much they care about our kids,” Ricole Jones, a parent, told KIRO 7.