A Renton police officer takes cover on the sixth floor of the north parking garage at Valley Medical Center Monday afternoon as officers attempt to take a distraught man into custody. - Dean A. Radford/Renton Reporter
Dean A. Radford/Renton Reporter
A Renton police officer takes cover on the sixth floor of the north parking garage at Valley Medical Center Monday afternoon as officers attempt to take a distraught man into custody.

Distraught man, thought armed, gives up in Valley Medical parking garage

By DEAN RADFORD
Renton Reporter Editor
August 29, 2011 · 3:31 PM

  • 0
  • Print Story
  • Email Author
  • Letter/Editor

A distraught man surrendered to Renton Police officers Monday afternoon on the sixth floor of Valley Medical Center's north parking garage.

About a dozen Renton police units arrived at the medical center at about 2 p.m. following an initial report there was a suicidal man armed with a handgun on the garage's top floor.

Officers took different stairwells to the top floor. Medical center security staff were called in to stop the structure's elevators.

The man, described as possibly in his 20s, surrendered to a group of officers as they arrived on the roof at about 2:25 p.m.

"He gave up," said Commander David Leibman with the Renton Police Department. It was then that officers determined he wasn't armed.

The all-clear sign was given at 2:32 p.m. A few minutes later, barriers to the entrance of the parking garage were removed.

For a time the garage was closed to pedestrian traffic and vehicles were diverted to other driveways within the medical center's complex.

Contact Renton Reporter Editor Dean Radford at editor@rentonreporter.com or 1-425-255-3484 (ext 5050).

Comment on this story.

COMMENTING RULES: We encourage an open exchange of ideas in our online community, but we ask you to follow our guidelines for respecting community standards. In a nutshell, don't say anything you wouldn't want your mother to read. Please see our FAQ if you have questions or concerns about using Facebook to comment.

So keep your comments:

  • Civil
  • Smart
  • On-topic
  • Free of profanity

We ask that all participants own their words by logging in with their Facebook account. It's a simple process that will take seconds and helps keep our comments free of trolls, cranks, and “drive-by” commenters. We reserve the right to remove comments from anyone using screen names, pseudonyms or false identities. Please refer to our Terms of Use for full detail on participating on our site.

blog comments powered by Disqus