Residents were ordered to evacuate an area in Lakewood, Washington, after a suspect barricaded himself inside a building for several hours. A spokesperson from the Pierce County Sheriff's Office says there were shots fired around the time the suspect ran inside a building in an industrial area early Wednesday morning. Investigators said during a briefing that it's unclear if shots were coming from the suspect or from police who were in pursuit. Carly Cappetto, pictured below, gave the briefing Wednesday night.
Investigators said there was one employee inside. Cappetto says that the employee was assaulted and escaped with what was described as a serious injury. Then, the suspect reportedly barricaded himself in the building. FOX 13 talked to a family member of the suspect for more details on what happened leading up to the standoff. She says as fire crews, police and armored vehicles rushed to the office complex, the family of the man accused in the standoff watched and waited, hoping for a peaceful outcome.
Brianna says his family got word this morning that something had gone wrong with him when law enforcement reached out with a request. She says he was accused of burglarizing the Pick and Pull nearby previously. She says he returned to the area this morning and someone called the police. Lakewood police say they got a call just after am about a suspicious person. When they arrived, officers reported that the man jumped the fence to the JBLM property, and then ran back to a commercial business.
Twenty minutes later, police and witnesses told them that shots were fired and people inside the office complex area fled. They are working, and they just clock in for their shift and this is how their day goes? Around 6 p. A short time later, an ambulance left with lights and sirens activated along with a police escort.
Cappetto said around 8 hours after the standoff began, the man tried to flee from the building and more shots were fired. Again, she said it was unclear who fired the shots Wednesday. Brianna tells FOX 13 that he had been previously incarcerated, but had never done anything like this before. She also said she wanted him to know that he is loved by his family, and she is supportive of him, and will continue to be so after this incident.
