The Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office arrested a man suspected of barricading himself inside his Port Orchard for about a week.
Lieutenant Earl Smith with the Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office led the response to remove the individual who he described as a 37-year-old Port Orchard resident, opting not to give the name of the man during a Friday evening interview, shortly after officers had apprehended the suspect.
According to Smith, a Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office Crisis Intervention Officer had been working to negotiate a peaceful surrender by the barricaded suspect for about a week. Deputies discovered the man had barricaded himself indoors while attempting to execute an arrest warrant at the address. Smith said neighbors of the residence had been warned about the ongoing situation early on and were advised to call 911 if they saw anyone leave the residence.
“The neighbors were fully aware of our interactions with this individual, we did not feel that there was a threat to the neighbors, that was not his focus,” Smith said.
Smith noted that the man would receive some minor medical treatment before being booked into Kitsap County Jail, adding that the medical treatment was part of agency protocol and the suspect had not been seriously injured during the arrest or the standoff.
Smith said members of the Kitsap County SWAT team finally managed to coax the man out by firing tear gas into his home using a launcher.
“We inserted some irritants into the residence, which caused him to come outside, unfortunately he set fire to the residence before he exited,” Smith said. “We did however have South Kitsap Fire & Rescue assisting with our efforts so they were able to extinguish the flames pretty quickly.”
When asked what the 37-year-old had done to have a warrant issued for his arrest, Smith avoided details, saying only that he had “made some threats.” But after new threats were made on Friday, Smith said the decision was made to apprehend the man.
According to the lieutenant, the standoff on Friday was an “extremely volatile situation that came to a peaceful resolution because of the different tactics that were utilized and the less-lethal items that were used.”
“Our whole focus was to take the individual into custody safely, without injuries to him, officers, or anyone in the community, and I am pleased that it was resolved in a safe manner.”
