A man threatening to assault the manager at an Aurora motel early this morning prompted a SWAT response after he barricaded himself in his room.
Just after 4:00 this morning, North Precinct officers responded to the Seal’s Motel at North 120th Street and Aurora Avenue North for a report of a tenant causing a disturbance. The report stated that the man, a long-term tenant of the motel, was outside screaming and banging on doors. When the manager went outside to confront the tenant, the suspect turned on him and attempted to assault the manager. The manager told the suspect to go back into his room. The suspect did go back to his room and retrieved a large chain which he began swinging as he advanced toward the manager. The manager was able to retreat to the office and call 911.
Officers arrived and could hear the suspect inside his room screaming and banging things against the wall. It appeared that the suspect might be intoxicated or high on an unknown drug. As officers attempted to talk to the man, they noticed that he began barricading his front window. The suspect became more and more agitated and violent each time officers attempted to speak to him. Because this was a barricaded situation, SWAT and negotiators were called to the scene. Negotiators attempted to establish a dialouge with the man, but he continued to scream and break out the windows of his room. The suspect had also armed himself with a pick ax during this incident. After several attempts with negotiators, SWAT made the decision to deploy pepper spray into the room, which caused the man to throw down his pick ax and finally surrender to police without further incident. The suspect was taken into custody. After being checked out by the Seattle Fire Department, the 52-year-old male was booked into the King County Jail for Investigation of Assault and Investigation of Malicious Mischief.