UPDATE: Man arrested after ~2-hour standoff with police near Westwood Village

11:18 AM: For those noticing the large police response across from the north side of Westwood Village, here’s what’s happening: Officers are in a standoff with a man suspected in a reported domestic-violence incident. No injuries and no road closures so far; the suspect is reported to be inside an apartment at the Westwood Court complex, refusing to come out and talk with police.

12:29 PM: The suspect is in custody, per police radio. SFD is being called in to check him out.

12:35 PM: Our photographer happened to be heading back to the scene when that happened; he’s just arrived and confirmed with police that the suspect is under arrest and they’re searching the apartment now that he’s out of it.

3:24 PM: We asked police for their initial summary of the incident – here’s what they sent:

On July 9th at 10:07 a.m., a juvenile called 911 to report that his grandfather threatened to kill his grandmother with a machete. Officers responded to residence near Southwest Trenton Street & 25th Avenue Southwest. As Officers arrived, the suspect allowed the victim and juvenile to exit the residence, but he quickly barricaded himself inside and refused to come out. Police safety containment was established, and the Hostage Negotiation Team, Special Weapons & Tactics (SWAT) team, and Community Service Officers arrived on scene to assist Patrol.

Police developed probable cause to arrest the suspect for Investigation of Domestic Violence (DV) Harassment. While the primary Officer worked on the search warrant, the suspect managed to rappel from his third-story balcony to the space below. The suspect attempted to flee on foot, but he was apprehended by Police. Officers served the warrant to retrieve the weapons/evidence. The juvenile and victim suffered no injuries and were transported to the Southwest Precinct where the CSOs provided them with food and resources.

24 Replies to "UPDATE: Man arrested after ~2-hour standoff with police near Westwood Village"

  • Alki resident July 9, 2024 (11:48 am)

    Is ladder code red standing by then? Or separate? 

  • TomV July 9, 2024 (11:55 am)

    As of 11:54 a.m., several police officers are still here at Westwood Court. They have not yet been successful in making an arrest. They have turned off the elevator, ordering tenants to stay in their units.

  • Tired WS Mom July 9, 2024 (12:16 pm)

    Uncomfortably close to that daycare. I hope things don’t escalate. 

  • Jim P. July 9, 2024 (12:27 pm)

    I live nearby, someone is on the bullhorn trying to talk to whoever. or so it sounds like  Unfortunately whoever it is is not well trained and sounds both hesitant and dubious.I thought a lot of taxpayer money had been spent on special negotiating people to handle this stuff, this sounded a bit amateurish.Once again the blog comes through as there has been no outreach from the police to anyone nearby.

    • OneTimeCharley July 9, 2024 (12:47 pm)

      I’m just thankful for all the newer officers that have chosen to work for our city. 

    • Clinker July 9, 2024 (12:51 pm)

      You’re talking about SPD. Proud to have the largest contingent at the attempted coup. These are not people who value negotiation.

      • Bill July 9, 2024 (3:07 pm)

        What are you talking about????

      • Rhonda July 9, 2024 (3:07 pm)

        Clinker, you have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about, so you should keep your slander to yourself.

        • AD July 9, 2024 (4:26 pm)

          It’s not slander, it’s a fact, and SPD did nothing to remove insurrectionists from its ranks.  No way to know if any of the insurrectionists responded to this particular call, but as long as police officers keep burying their heads in the sand about the way the conduct of their fellow officers reflects on the Department, there will be an ongoing erosion of public trust.

        • jedidiahperkins July 9, 2024 (4:35 pm)

          Rhonda, SPD had the most active duty police officers in attendance at the January 6th insurrection than any other department in the country. It isn’t slander (or libel) if it is true.

          https://www.kuow.org/stories/police-departments-search-for-political-extremism-in-ranks-following-capitol-riot

        • Helpermonkey July 9, 2024 (4:57 pm)

          Nothing they said wasn’t true. There were a bunch of SPD officers at the January 6 insurrection. It’s documented, and it’s a fact. No slander here. 

    • Anne July 9, 2024 (1:15 pm)

      Thanks for that expert opinion. 

    • uncle loco July 9, 2024 (1:18 pm)

      There’s another standoff currently happening in the Rainier Beach area. Full on SWAT team. They probably have the negotiator you’re looking for.

    • Al King July 9, 2024 (1:54 pm)

      Jim P. Are you a trained negotiator? Please share your expertise on negotiations. 

  • Westwood courts resident July 9, 2024 (12:58 pm)

    There have been a number of domestic situations in multiple units, late night arguments, people on drugs, packages being stolen. The gates are constantly being left open and broken so anyone can enter at any time. I hate it here.

    • Former Resident July 9, 2024 (1:58 pm)

      THIS! One of the worst complexes in WS. I’m so grateful I moved out. I hope you’re able to soon as well.

      • West Seattle resident July 9, 2024 (2:12 pm)

        Oh, can’t forget the diapers being thrown EVERYWHERE and smoking despite it being a no smoking property. I’m working on it and hopefully I will soon.

    • Another resident July 9, 2024 (7:30 pm)

      Not allowed to do background checks anymore and almost impossible to evict it seems, not management fault. Brand new gates with locks that don’t work absolutely are, ignoring illegal tenants also is, as well as condition of the building.  Can’t keep the good tenants when repairs   aren’t done in a timely manner or ever. Did the property manager really try to do a tour during this despite two other employees being on-site?

    • Arbor heights resident July 11, 2024 (3:19 pm)

      I am an Amazon delivery driver and see tons of signage about packages being stolen in super-secure buildings all the time. I can’t even get up in the elevator- I have to assume it is the residents that are stealing other residents packages, because no one else can get in. All this to say that secured access unfortunately does not stop package theft, even secure mailrooms- your neighbors can get in too, and they’re the ones stealing. 

  • WSB July 9, 2024 (3:28 pm)

    Updated with early police summary. One detail we missed while away from the desk for a bit just before this ended – they say the suspect tried to get away by rappelling from this third-floor window.

  • snowskier July 9, 2024 (3:49 pm)

    Wow.  A machete, rappelling and a police pursuit.  Someone’s been watching too much TV.  This nearly beats the naked guy at the ferry dock last fall who managed to lose his clothes then acquire a machete before being found cowering in the bushes.  Glad the victims weren’t injured.

    • 1994 July 9, 2024 (8:56 pm)

      Yah – the rappelling from the 3rd floor makes you wonder what is going through the grandfather’s mind! Poor kid! but smart to call 911.

  • Meeeee July 9, 2024 (4:30 pm)

    What clinker is referring to is the fact that our SPD had the biggest known contingent of cops at the January 6th rally.SPD is number 1

  • Another One July 9, 2024 (5:20 pm)

    I feel for the kid who called 911, what a terrible thing to have to deal with as a child. 

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