A 15-year-old Benson Polytechnic High School student is facing multiple felony charges, including domestic terrorism, after allegedly releasing toxic chemicals inside the school last month.
The teenager will face 19 charges total, Multnomah County Circuit Court spokesperson Rachel McCarthy told OPB.
Those charges include:
- One count of domestic terrorism in the first degree
- One count of domestic terrorism in the second degree
- 12 counts of attempt to commit any degree of murder or aggravated assault
- Two counts of unlawful possession of a destructive device
- One count of possession of a weapon in a public building
- One count of unlawful use of a weapon
- One count of reckless endangering of another person
The 15-year-old inhaled a mixture of toxic chemicals he’d brought from home, and then spilled them on the floor in the school cafeteria. He was hospitalized and the school was evacuated.
OPB is not disclosing his name because he is a minor and has not been convicted.
Attorneys for the student said in a statement Friday that the boy is “receiving appropriate and necessary mental health treatment.”
“Unlike the adult criminal system, juvenile court is structured to prioritize the individual needs of young people and to promote rehabilitation and healing,” the attorneys wrote. “The family is grateful that no one else was injured and for the swift intervention of school staff and first responders. They ask for privacy at this time so they may focus on their child’s recovery.”
At his first appearance hearing at the Multnomah County Juvenile Justice Center Friday, Judge Kristine Almquist said the student would be released to the Parry Center for Children in Portland, where he’s been receiving mental health treatment.
Deputy District Attorney Eric Zimmerman requested a hearing to reconsider Almquist’s decision, which is set for next Tuesday.
In court, Zimmerman described the events leading up to the alleged attack: how the student arrived to school wearing gloves and goggles. He allegedly attempted to combine different chemicals inside the school, eventually passing out as a cloud billowed from the concoction.
He said the student had attempted to make hydrogen sulfide and hydrogen cyanide, both of which are toxic. Multiple staff members and students reported trouble breathing and headaches.
Zimmerman also said that officials with the FBI found references the student had made to 764, an extremist group that officials say works to exploit minors online into committing violent crimes.
Joe Mitacek, vice principal at Benson High, also addressed the court and said the school is still feeling the impact.
“The impact of our student body has been one of terror,” Mitacek said. “It’s been hard to get kids to return to school.”
This is a developing story and will be updated.
Benson Polytechnic High School in Portland, Ore., on Feb. 28, 2025.
Natalie Pate / OPB
