Bodycam Video Shows Arrest Of Suspect In School Bomb Threat, Assault At Summit Middle School
By: The Oklahoma County Sheriff's Office released body camera video showing a woman accused of making a bomb threat and attacking an employee at a middle school Wednesday morning.
Nicole Sanders, 31, went to Summit Middle School near Edmond to try to check out a student, who is a relative, said Sheriff Tommie Johnson. After Sanders presented her identification, school staff notified the student.
"The female (student) comes to the office and sees the adult female that was there, immediately kind of gets disturbed by it," Johnson said.
School staff then noticed the student's reaction and called her mother, who told the school not to release the child to Sanders, said Johnson.
Sanders was told to leave the building, Johnson said. But bodycam video showed that the suspect then attacked a staff member outside the school entrance. The suspect appeared to be pulling on the victim's hair while the victim was on the ground, according to the video.
A school resource officer separated Sanders from the school staff member and led her away. But the bodycam video showed the suspect pushing away from the SRO and appearing to grab him while disregarding his commands, prompting him to deploy his stun gun on her. Johnson said Sanders was then arrested.
Johnson added that Sanders made a bomb threat as well.
"The suspect did say that she left bombs around the school. Our agency deployed our bomb techs out there, our bomb squad. They walked the entire school and were able to clear the school, so there are no credible threats," said Johnson.
The school staff member who was attacked was expected to be okay, said a district spokesperson. Meanwhile, no student was injured.
"This individual never gained access into the school. The school had a great plan in place for protecting these kids," said Johnson.
In a message to parents, Summit Middle School Principal Michael DeForest said the suspect "was showing signs of a mental health episode." He said the situation was resolved at around 9:30 a.m. But as a precaution, students were held in their advisory classes until 9:44 a.m. before their day resumed as normal.
"I want to commend our staff members and law enforcement partners for their help in containing this situation," DeForest said in his message. "They did everything correctly and ensured the adults didn’t have access to the building."
Sanders was booked into the Oklahoma County Detention Center on six charges: assault and battery on a police officer, assault and battery upon a school employee, devising a plan to cause serious bodily harm or death, disturbing the peace, reckless driving, and assault and battery upon an emergency medical care provider.