MARYSVILLE — A walkout from Lakewood High School and Lakewood Middle School students who were protesting increased immigration enforcement dispersed on Thursday after a man made threatening statements toward the protesters, according to students and parents.
Alia Hueso, left to right, Asha Fofana, and Analia Castillo, sophomores at Lakewood High School, hold signs during a student walkout and protest on Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026 in Marysville, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
The walkout drew about 100 students and took place near the Lakewood Crossing shopping center on the border of Marysville and Arlington. For about an hour, students peacefully protested by waving signs and chanting at the intersection of 172nd Street NE and 27th Avenue NE in Marysville.
Over an hour after the protest began, a man in a red car waiting at the intersection began shouting at the students protesting, according to Heather Felker, a parent who attended the walkout. He made a U-turn and returned to the intersection, this time in the right turn lane, closer to the students.
A Taco Bell drink flies between a man and Heidi Swanson as he gets out of his car while yelling during a student walkout and protest on Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026 in Marysville, Washington.
Some parents, who said they had attended the walkout to make sure it remained safe, stood between the children and the man’s car, which remained stopped in the right turn lane. A shouting match ensued. Felker said the man got out of his car and reached for his waist, making her worried that he had a gun.
After he exited the car, another parent, Heidi Swanson, went up to the car and told the man to leave. Someone threw a Taco Bell drink in between the two.
Students holds signs on the corner of 172nd Street Northeast and 27th Avenue Northeast during a student walkout and protest on Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026 in Lakewood, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
“Someone threw a cup at him as he was coming toward me. Whoever it was, thank you,” Swanson said. “It’s not the way to handle it, but they’re kids. Emotions are running really high.”
He then got back in the car, Swanson said. She said she tried to take a photo of him, but the man got angry.
“He said, ‘I have a gun, I will shoot you,’” Swanson said.
At that point, Swanson stepped back and the man drove away. Students moved away from the street toward the parking lot of a nearby Taco Bell.
In an email sent by Lakewood School District Superintendent Erin Murphy to parents following the event, obtained by The Daily Herald, Murphy said that the district received a report of the interaction with a community member who may have had a weapon. According to Murphy, the district school resource officer contacted law enforcement, who shared that was no evidence of a weapon. Police are continuing to investigate the matter, which they referred to as a “verbal altercation,” Murphy wrote.
The Marysville Police Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office referred a request for comment to the Marysville Police Department.
Students hold hands and look for friends as they retreat to a parking lot after a confrontation with a man during a student walkout and protest on Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026 in Marysville, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
“When I heard people shouting about how that guy was going to come back with a gun, I was scared,” said Aarav Karnik, a ninth grader at the protest. “I didn’t know what to do.”
Students and parents reported the incident to police. Multiple agencies responded to the scene.
Jazmine Bustos, a sophomore at Lakewood High School, waves a Mexican flag during a student walkout and protest on Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026 in Marysville, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
The walkout took place amid a rise in student protests across the county related to Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions. The goal of Thursday’s walkout, organized by students via social media, was to spread the word about what they saw as immoral actions like increased deportations and the shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti.
“That’s why we’re doing this, because it’s so near to us,” said Rayna Peacher, a senior at Lakewood High School. “There’s so many people who are ignorant, especially around here. I think that’s why we can cause a big difference.”
In a statement Thursday, Lakewood School District spokesperson Kristina Bowman said the walkout was not a school- or district-sponsored event, and that the district’s priorities are student safety and maintaining a continuity of education for its students.
“Our responsibility as a school is to ensure student safety and continuity of learning,” the district wrote in a message to families on Tuesday. “Class and instruction will continue as scheduled.”
The message said staff worked to support student safety and learning while students are on campus, and that staff would supervise students as far as campus boundaries allowed.
Some students said Thursday that they had received threatening messages and comments from others before the protest began. Bowman said those concerns were investigated and there were no verifiable threats.
Herald reporter Jenna Millikan and photographer Olivia Vanni contributed to this report.
Will Geschke: 425-339-3443; william.geschke@heraldnet.com; X: @willgeschke.
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