A 48-year-old Kent man was taken into custody early Wednesday, Dec. 10 after pointing a handgun at police officers during an attempt to arrest him in connection with a felony sexual assault and domestic violence investigation, according to the Kent Police Department.
Kent Police were asked to assist the Seattle Police Department at 3:14 a.m. Wednesday in locating the suspect, who was believed to be inside an apartment in the 11100 block of SW 208th Street (map below). Officers located the suspect’s unoccupied vehicle in the parking lot and knocked on the apartment door.
Police said the suspect opened the door and immediately pointed a handgun at officers, prompting one officer to fire a service weapon. The suspect retreated back inside the apartment and closed the door.
No officers were injured.
Kent officers established a protective perimeter and requested Valley SWAT assistance. Officers attempted to call the suspect out using public address systems. Police said the suspect could be seen looking out of the unit but did not respond.
A short time later, the suspect’s mother exited the apartment and told officers the man was alone inside the unit. Smoke was then observed coming from the apartment, and the mother confirmed the sprinkler system had activated. Officers evacuated nearby apartments, and Puget Sound Fire Authority responded to investigate what police later described as a small fire.
Officers continued efforts to get the suspect to surrender. At 5:53 a.m., the man exited the apartment but did not comply with commands. A K9 was deployed, and the suspect was taken into custody.
Police said the suspect was not struck by gunfire but sustained injuries from a K9 bite.
The Valley Independent Investigative Team was requested to conduct the investigation. Future updates will be released by that team, police said.
