Causes
Two Police Officers Injured At Puyallup Following A Standoff With A Domestic Violence Suspect
Two officers from the Puyallup Police Department suffered minor injuries from a shootout this Tuesday afternoon. The officers were responding to a domestic violence call at an apartment complex which aggravated into an armed standoff with a man who barricaded himself in the building.
The Police officers were investigating a reported abuse when they arrived at the scene around 15 minutes past 1 pm at the River Trail Apartments on 1617 E. Main Ave.
The situation aggravated into a gunfight as the man refused to cooperate with the police within an hour of the arrival of the cops on the scene. He barricaded himself and fired multiple shots which hit two of the policemen at the scene. Both the officers were moved to a care center and only suffered from non-life-threatening injuries.
Is The Suspect In Custody?
The Puyallup Police released critical advisory instructions to the inhabitants of the River Trail Apartments to shelter in their own places and avoid leaving their apartments.
Within 6 hours, the suspect surrendered peacefully and was taken to a local hospital in custody, following which the shelter-in-place order was removed and residents can now return home and carry on as usual.
Several videos were released from the scene on Twitter that showed multiple SWAT units and officers trying to negotiate with the suspect. Sounds of gunshots from both the police and the suspect were caught on camera.
Sergeant Darren Moss from the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department assured the residents during the incident that they will evacuate them from their apartments if the situation escalates. He pleaded with them to shelter in place while the police were handling the situation.
He addressed the injured policemen and said that their injuries were reportedly minor. The officers who were struck were able to walk to an ambulance, so there was nothing to worry about them according to Moss.
The 37-year-old suspect finally surrendered around fifteen minutes past eight in the evening and was taken to the hospital with minor injuries on his hand.
According to some officers, the suspect approached his ex-girlfriend’s house and hid behind her closet, which violated the domestic violence no-contact order. The woman who contacted 911 was outside when the police arrived on the scene.
More: Lake Elsinore Shooting Leaves Riverside Deputy Injured, Suspect Arrested
The suspect was previously charged with a confirmed felony and misdemeanor domestic violence warrants at the time of his arrest.
The police were forced to close several areas of East Main Street for hours including 15th Street Southeast to 23rd Street Southeast.
The full physical condition and identity of the suspect are yet to be revealed after he is released from the hospital.
After his release, he will be booked into prison for multiple counts of assault, violation of the domestic violence no-contact order, and other outstanding warrants.
The police officials who were involved in the incident and injured will be placed on administrative leave according to some officials.
The Puyallup Police Department has been quite busy this week with just recently nabbing two teenage kids at the South Hill Mall for possessing firearms last Sunday.
