Pierce County SWAT arrests man armed with gun in domestic violence call in South Hill

Dec. 31—A Pierce County SWAT team arrested a 31-year-old man Friday who deputies said pointed a gun at his father and fired shots outside his South Hill home.

The man was arrested for investigation of first-degree assault following a standoff involving a Pierce County Sheriff's Department SWAT team and crisis negotiators.

Deputies first reported about 8:30 a.m. that a man was armed near 179th Street East and 84th Avenue East. The roads are in a residential area south of Puyallup. Sheriff's Department spokesperson Sgt. Darren Moss said deputies responded after receiving reports of domestic violence with a weapon.

Before deputies arrived on the scene, Moss said the man had fired off six gunshots outside the house where he pointed a gun at his father. At some point, the man also lit something in the road on fire with a small torch.

The man tried to leave in a vehicle but crashed into a ditch on 84th Avenue, Moss said. The man sat in the vehicle and wouldn't respond to deputies.

Moss said the man was having a mental health crisis that may have been related to drug use.

Eventually, the man got out of the car and started walking away from deputies. The man had a handgun in a holster on his hip.

Deputies continued to try to talk with the armed man, but he kept walking down the road and went into the woods.

By the time the man was located again, the SWAT team was on the scene with a negotiator. Eventually, Moss said, the man began responding to negotiators and was somewhat cooperative, but he still had the gun on his hip.

Deputies reported at about 9:30 a.m. that the man had been taken into custody. Moss said the SWAT team was able to get close enough to the man to tackle him and put him in handcuffs before he could reach for the firearm on his hip.

This story was originally published December 31, 20219:00 AM.

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