Elementary students from Quincy experienced an unforgettable overnight trip to western Washington, unexpectedly spending the night at an Everett school after a police shooting shut down the highway.
Fourth-grade students from Monument and George elementary schools in central Washington had ventured to Seattle for the Quincy School District’s annual overnight field trip. They departed from the Pacific Science Center on Thursday at around 4:30 p.m. and began traveling on Interstate 5 to Padilla Bay National Reserve in Skagit County.
However, northbound I-5 was closed in Everett for several hours on Thursday evening after a Washington State Patrol trooper shot and killed a road rage suspect.
The school buses carrying students, parents, and staff were stuck in gridlock for several hours, according to the district.
At around 11 p.m., the Everett Police Department escorted the buses out of traffic to Everett High School. An Everett police lieutenant provided dinner for the students and connected the Quincy staff to the Everett Public Schools administration.
The students spent the night at the high school, and pictures shared by the district showed blow-up mattresses set up in the gymnasium for sleeping.