Neighbors in University Place were jolted from their homes in the middle of the night after an armed standoff stretched for hours and shut down streets before ending with a 4 a.m. surrender on June 4.
Authorities say a 43-year-old man barricaded himself inside a two-story house in the 5400 block of 56th Street West on the night of June 3. Deputies and a SWAT team surrounded the property, brought in snipers and a drone, and eventually fired chemical agents, including tear gas and pepper balls, into the home to force him out. The man was taken into custody, later pleaded not guilty at his arraignment, and was released on a $35,000 bond.
According to The News Tribune, the standoff began shortly before 11 p.m. on June 3 and wrapped up at about 3:40 a.m. the next morning. Court documents and police reports cited by the paper say a negotiator called the suspect 13 times and exchanged text messages with him for roughly four hours. During that time, the man allegedly sent suicidal statements to relatives and threatened to kill the negotiator. Prosecutors charged him on June 5 with felony harassment, fourth-degree domestic-violence assault, misdemeanor harassment, failure to obey law-enforcement orders and obstructing a law-enforcement officer.
Inside the Overnight Standoff
Police reports describe SWAT snipers watching the suspect move through his home with a pistol as the tense stalemate dragged on. Deputies redeployed a drone to scan for alternate exits, including a crawlspace near a bedroom closet, while they worked to secure a warrant…