An armed man in crisis at Tanglewood Mobile Home Park in Rochester was taken into custody without incident on Saturday.
The man, whose name has not been released by law enforcement, had possibly used meth and was experiencing severe hallucinations, and at one point was confronting neighbors while armed with a gun.
Thurston County Sheriff Derek Sanders reported that he was on route to a community event in Rochester on Saturday, March 21, when he and deputies were dispatched to the incident.
“I immediately called for additional resources, to include a drone unit, our SCOUT mental health professionals, crisis negotiators, and a small SWAT contingency,” Sanders wrote in a social media post.
Swede Hall opened its doors to those who were displaced during the incident, while remaining Tanglewood residents were asked to stay inside and lock their doors until it was resolved.
Chehalis Tribal Police and the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office deployed drones to keep “complete uninterrupted visual on the person in crisis as he walked around his back yard with a gun,” Sanders wrote.
“With his behavior escalating, our armored vehicle responded to the scene as deputies maintained distance and cover to avoid a lethal encounter,” Sanders wrote.
The man was on a neighbor's porch armed with a knife when deputies approached in the armored Bearcat.
Deputies in the Bearcat were able to talk him into custody without using any force, according to Sanders.
The firearm, a .357 magnum revolver, was located back on his porch and was seized.
“Deputies, detectives, officers, SWAT operators, negotiators, and dispatch did a phenomenal job managing this scene with competent tactics to avoid what easily could have been an officer involved shooting of an individual in crisis,” Sanders wrote. “Better training, better equipment, and better deputies and officers make for better outcomes.”
Thurston County Joint Animal Services also responded and staged for three dogs that were let out by the person in crisis.
“We didn’t end up needing animal control, but they responded quick and remained on scene for us just in case,” Sanders wrote.
