Kent Police arrested a man in his 40s for investigation of first-degree kidnapping, first-degree assault and attempted arson after he held a woman hostage at knifepoint and threatened to set himself and the woman on fire.
The incident occurred at about 2:07 p.m. Friday at the Arbor Chase Apartments at 64th Avenue South and West Smith Street in the Kent Valley, according to a Kent Police media release.
Hostage negotiators from the Kent and Tukwila Police talked nearly 90 minutes with the man before he put down his knife and surrendered at about 3:38 p.m. The man escalated his threats several times before he gave up.
Police arrested the man and took him to the city jail. Paramedics treated the woman and transported her as a precaution to Valley Medical Center in Renton. Police did not have an age for the woman.
“Officers were faced with a extremely volatile situation that seems to have come from a bad movie, but they used sound tactics and negotiation to bring about a peaceful conclusion,” said Kent Police Chief Steve Strachan. “Like any department, we want to end these situations peaceably, but the outcome is ultimately determined by the actions of the suspect.”
A neighbor called 911 to report loud noises and sounds of fighting coming from a nearby apartment.
When officers arrived less than a minute later, they found a man identifying himself as a roommate coming out of the apartment. The man told officers that another male roommate had taken a female roommate hostage inside the apartment.
Officers entered the apartment and found themselves just a few feet from the suspect, who is in his 40s based on preliminary investigation. The man was sitting on the floor near a couch, holding the female in front of him.
He reportedly had a knife to the woman’s throat and was holding a lighter in the other hand. He allegedly had doused both of them with lighter fluid and was threatening to harm her with the knife and by starting them on fire.
Kent Fire responded and were at the scene as a contingency. Police evacuated adjoining apartments.
Officers kept a tactical distance and held the suspect at gunpoint, attempting to calm him and defuse the situation.
The roommate outside reported to police that the suspect had a lengthy history of schizophrenia and his mental condition recently had been deteriorating.
Kent detectives are following up the investigation and will forward the case to the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office for review about what charges to file.
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