Man enters Seattle high school posing as military agent, threatens staff

Seattle police arrested a man accused of entering Roosevelt High School and threatening staff, forcing the school into lockdown Thursday afternoon.

According to a police report, officers were called to the school at 1:26 p.m. over reports of an ‘unknown man’ who entered the building and was trying to approach the principal with a pair of handcuffs.

The school sheltered in place during the incident, and a staff member brought police to the suspect.

Police have identified the suspect as 32-year-old Youngmin Choi.

The backstory:

Witnesses said Choi arrived at the school saying he was there "for a recon," and was threatening to arrest people if they tried to stop him. They claim Choi came into the school posing as an agent of the U.S. Court of Appeals, and that he was allowed to be there as part of the "Federal RICO act."

When staff told him to leave, they say he walked away. At one point, witnesses say Choi showed his handcuffs to the principal and threatened to arrest him.

According to police reports, Choi was wearing a combat vest with a Taser holstered on it, as well as pepper spray and handcuffs. He was also wearing a badge that read ‘Air Combat Command,’ and carried a card with his name on it, followed by: "UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE ARMED FORCES WASHING D.C."

Police also recovered a notebook with Korean script, except for the words "mass casualty," which were written in English.

Choi's backpack also reportedly contained a drone, caltrop, tools and other things.

What's next:

Officers allegedly recognized Choi from prior law enforcement contact, and arrested him. Choi was booked into King County Jail for second-degree burglary, criminal impersonation, harassment, and carrying a weapon in a school.

According to the incident report, authorities are recommending the case be referred to a mental health court.

The Source: Information is based on an incident report provided by the Seattle Police Department.

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