A 37-year-old man is in custody following an hours-long standoff in the Northgate neighborhood after he assaulted and threatened a family member. The man was eventually taken into custody after extensive negotiations with police.
On Monday, October 16th, shortly after 1:00 pm, officers responded to a residence in the Northgate neighborhood for a report of a domestic violence assault. Officers determined that the adult son had assaulted and then threatened a family member with a large meat cleaver. Officers were aware that the man was in mental health crisis, and requested the Crisis Response Unit as well as negotiators to the scene. Officers attempted to establish a dialogue with the suspect, but he refused to engage with officers. Eventually, SWAT responded to the scene.
A warrant was obtained for the man’s arrest. After exhausting all options of de-escalation, SWAT entered the residence and arrested the suspect. He was later booked into the King County Jail for investigation of domestic violence harassment. Detectives will handle the follow-up investigation.