Benson Polytechnic High School in Portland, Ore., on Feb. 28, 2025.
Natalie Pate / OPB
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 was hospitalized on Sept. 8 after he inhaled gases while in the school cafeteria he produced using a toxic mixture of chemicals he had brought from home. He then spilled some of that mixture on the floor, 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.”
This is a developing story and will be updated.
