Roosevelt High School Was in Danger Today

Update 2:

I asked SPD for the police report and associated info. Here’s what I learned.

1) The intruder, Youngmin Choi, is about 32 years old. 

2) He has been arrested a couple of times previously for burglary and trespass at a business. 

3) The first SPD unit was sent out at 1:26 pm and arrived at RHS at 1:32 pm. The principal’s second email says the incident started around 1:20 pm so I would guess they called SPD right away. 

4) One news report said that the man was somewhat known to office staff as he had come in a few times before. SPD says there are no other reports about him from RHS. Meaning, if he came into the building previously, staff got him out but did not report it to SPD. 

RHS did call district security for this incident; this is noted in the police report. I have no idea if they reported the other times this man came to the building to SPS Security.

I find this troubling. 

5) The police report says 911 said this (partial)"UNK MALE IN 1ST FLOOR BLDG, TALKING ABOUT RECON AND REFUSING TO LEAVE, NO WPNS”

And those at RHS knew he had no weapons how? He had a holster on (it contained the taser but that shouldn’t matter) and a backpack. Maybe staff told 911 “no visible weapons” but was stated, “no wpns."

But then the report says: "We arrived at the location of CHOI, nearby staff members said that he had a weapon on him. CHOI was arrested for criminal impersonation and for the weapons in school.” So now staff says he DOES have a weapon.

6) The police phrase the situation at RHS as a “lockdown” when it was a “shelter in place.”

7) "CHOI told XXXX, "I'm going to arrest you" and reached for the handle of something. XXXX initially believed it was a gun but saw it was a taser. During this time, XXXX feared for his life and the safety of others. XXXX said that CHOI reached for the taser twice and the handcuffs approximately eight times.”

So all of the principal’s waving off of the situation was NOT what other staff were feeling. 

8) He will be charged with felonies. 

9) He had an item on called a plate carrier. This is labeled in the SPD report as “law enforcement equipment.” It’s a metal plate that attaches somehow to a vest/jacket to hang various pieces of equipment like tasers. 

10) The police classify some of what he had as “weapons.” I note there is a screwdriver; you can’t even get on a plane with a screwdriver. 

end of update

Update:

So this guy did NOT have guns, this according to KIRO 7. However, in her email to families, Principal Brewer did not say that. It would have gone a long way if she had from the get-go. The intruder was not wearing a bulletproof vest but at first glance, you might have thought that. Apparently it was more of a fisherman’s vest with many pockets. 

The principal told media that the person never threatened to harm office staff. When you have a stranger in a school building wearing items that could contain dangerous devices, I would consider that threatening.

But here’s what KIRO says that staff told THEM:

School staff reported the man had handcuffs in his back pocket, was trying to approach the principal, and that the school was placed under a shelter-in-place lockdown.

Also, staff recognized him “from previous incidents.” Were those incidents reported to SPD? 

When police located the man, staff members told them he had a weapon.

Officers arrested the man for criminal impersonation and possession of weapons on school grounds.

He was wearing a plate carrier with a taser inside a holster, and had pepper spray in his pocket. A badge with “Air Combat Command” was found on his vest.

The security team member also saw the man attempt to handcuff the vice principal.

 The vice principal said he feared for his safety and the safety of others at that time.

The vice principal also stated that the man reached for the taser twice and the handcuffs approximately eight times, although he did not pull the taser out of the holster.

His notebook said, “mass casualty.”

There were these items in the backpack:

 

It certainly sounds like the guy had mental issues. And sometimes people with mental issues act out. 

For the principal to downplay this as her VP and staff felt fear seems wrong. But I have no doubt that the district tells principals to do this. 

end of update

From Roosevelt Principal Tami Brewer:

Dear Roosevelt families and staff,

This afternoon, an individual experiencing a mental health crisis entered our building. He was quickly intercepted by our security team and front office staff who called the police. Out of an abundance of caution, we immediately entered our Shelter-in-Place procedure as students were in class. During a shelter-in-place, all doors are locked, but activities are ongoing inside classrooms.

The individual was immediately taken into custody by the Seattle Police Department (SPD) and escorted from the building. All students and staff were safe.  The Staff followed the Shelter in Place drilled procedure with precision and students cooperated 100%.  

Thanks to the quick action taken by our security team and the SPD, the incident was resolved before we could put the school on lockdown.  I will continue to work with the Roosevelt security team and SPS Safety and Security staff to fully investigate this situation. Debriefing all incidents is a part of our ongoing commitment to improve.

The safety and well-being of Roosevelt staff and students is my top priority.

As a community we all need to be reminded to stay vigilant. Students and staff are encouraged to never “prop open a door” or hold the door open to let others inside. All students and staff, as well as visitors, should identify themselves at the call box before entering the building. 

We all play a role in school safety. Please report any concerns to me or the school office immediately. You can also use the SPS Safe Schools Hotline 206-252-0510 to report any threats to SPS schools. This phone number is managed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, all year round. The SPS School Info App is also available to report concerns. 

I am here and dedicated to our amazing students and staff. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.  

Respectfully,

Principal Brewer
Roosevelt High School

End of email

Here's the thing - it sounds like this individual was in the building long enough for students to have taken photos. Allegedly, it appears that the man had a bulletproof vest and weapons. 

So if that is true, why just a shelter-in-place? 

How long before the man was seen and intercepted by the security team? 

How long before the police arrived? 

Office staff "intercepted" an armed man? 

This all circles back to whatever the district is calling a "safety plan." 

Are RHS students being offered mental health counseling? Because all these events are a shock to the system for young people. 

Another thing to consider is the story this week of a shooting at a high school in Nashville where two students were shot and the gunman killed himself. 

From CNN:

Law enforcement officials seeking a motive for a shooting at Nashville’s Antioch High School on Wednesday morning are examining alarming social media posts and writings tied to a teenager police say shot and killed a 16-year-old girl.

The shooter, identified by Metro Nashville Police as 17-year-old Solomon Henderson, fired 10 shots within 17 seconds inside a cafeteria shortly after 11 a.m. –– killing Josselin Corea Escalante.

 

Social media posts and videos posted by the suspect show a history of racist, antisemitic, and violent beliefs. The online writings include a detailed plan of the shooting and a layout of the school.

Wednesday’s tragedy, which sent students in the cafeteria scrambling for cover, was the first school shooting in the US this year, based on CNN’s school shooting database parameters. There were 83 school shootings in 2024, the most of any year CNN has tracked.

This school had SROs in the building, has security vestibules, and an AI system to detect weapons.  From NBC:

The (AI) software, called Omnilert, failed to detect the gun because of where cameras were in Antioch High School, Metro Nashville Public Schools spokesperson Sean Braisted said at a news conference Thursday afternoon. 

But the system was activated by police brandishing their weapons during the response to the shooting, Braisted said.

Omnilert connects to the school's existing network of cameras and uses AI technology to detect weapons, he said, but "in this instance, based on the shooter's location in proximity to the cameras, it wasn't close enough to get an accurate read and to activate that alarm."

Apparently, some parents now want metal detectors which are expensive and a determined shooter can find a go-around like a side door.