Did teenager charged in Foss High School stabbings act in self-defense?
Update June 9: Bail was posted for the defendant on Tuesday, according to court records, and he was released from custody.
Original story: The 16-year-old boy charged as an adult in a stabbing at Foss High School in Tacoma that injured six people, including himself, saw a huge reduction in bail Monday after his defense attorney presented evidence that the teen acted in self-defense.
Waleed Emad Essakhi has pleaded not guilty to four counts of first-degree assault for the April stabbing, which court records show stemmed from a dispute over a vape battery or vape pen.
A police report not included in the initial probable cause document filed in the case contained information claiming Essakhi had been the target of a planned group assault, according to a defense motion to change Essakhi’s conditions of release.
A student reported to a police officer that she was told by a 15- or 16-year-old boy that he paid his friends to jump Essakhi after he didn’t give back a vape battery, according to the police report. The student reportedly gave Essakhi the vape battery two days before the stabbing.
James Curtis, the defendant’s attorney, wrote that the account was corroborated by the student witness in a defense interview, and that campus security reported seeing his client cowering and protecting his head while four students assaulted him.
“The initial presentation suggested that Waleed instigated or lured four students into a confrontation,” Curtis wrote. “But Officer Ahmed’s report contains evidence that the confrontation was planned by others and that Waleed was the target of a paid group assault.”
At a court hearing regarding the motion Monday morning, Pierce County Superior Court Judge Jennifer Andrews ordered that Essakhi’s bail be reduced to $250, down from $750,000. Essakhi has been in custody at Remann Hall since April 30. He has no prior criminal history. If released, he would be placed on electronic-home monitoring.
Andrews also ordered Essakhi to have no contact with any Tacoma Public School, not use social media and not have contact with the victims. Prosecutors had argued for $250,000 bail. Adam Faber, a spokesperson for the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, declined to comment on the self-defense claims.
In a phone call Monday, Curtis told The News Tribune he thought it was important to point out that evidence of Essakhi acting in self-defense existed when charges were filed. He said he obtained the police report about Essakhi being targeted for assault in the discovery process.
“Today a little more truth came out,” Curtis said.
The stabbing incident began in a hallway at about 1:30 p.m. According to the probable cause document, surveillance video showed four students confront Essakhi, who had his right hand in his pocket. Prosecutors have said the other students were not armed.
The fight broke out when a school staff member is seen on video walking toward the group of boys. According to the probable cause document, Essakhi and another student lunged at each other, and Essakhi appeared to have a knife in his right hand. The document states all four boys began to wildly punch Essakhi while he swung the knife at them.
As the fight continued, Essakhi was pulled into a wall and knocked to the ground. According to the probable cause document, some of the students punched or kicked at Essakhi, who stabbed the boy who punched him. Essakhi ran out of camera view at one point, and the other boys followed him. Another video showed Essakhi again being knocked to the ground, and school staff eventually separated the boys.
A security guard who pulled Essakhi away was cut by the teen’s knife, according to court documents. According to the detective’s affidavit, the guard believed he was stabbed accidentally. Prosecutors did not charge Essakhi with assaulting the guard.
A detective’s affidavit included in charging documents stated that a student told investigators the four boys had a problem with Essakhi because Essakhi stole from their friend. The friend reportedly told the student to confront Essakhi about it.
The defense attorney said that since the initial bail decision, prosecutors have requested additional video from Foss High School that was not previously disclosed. Curtis wrote that he understood the video was relevant to how the students entered through a locked exterior door and the events leading up to the confrontation in the hallway. Curtis said he has also requested disclosure of Instagram communications from all the students involved.
“The additional school video and Instagram evidence are expected to further corroborate [the witness’] account and the defense theory that Waleed was targeted, threatened, and physically assaulted by four students,” Curtis wrote.
This story was originally published June 9, 2026 at 5:00 AM.
