EDMONDS — For 22 tense minutes Tuesday, police with guns drawn waited for the man holed up in a motel bathroom.
“Back out, I have a gun!” the man whose street name is “Roach” reportedly yelled through the door.
Officers took cover and brought out shields while maintaining their positions.
They tried to talk to the man, 32, who is suspected of breaking into cars parked in supermarket and church parking lots.
Officers continually ordered him to come out of the room with his hands visible. The man refused, kept saying that he had a gun, and demanded a cigarette.
Police kept clear of the door and continued to negotiate, with their guns drawn.
Finally, the man emerged from the room. He was unarmed.
“There was no gun in there,” Edmonds police Sgt. Mark Marsh said.
By the time he was arrested for investigation of making threats to police, roughly 20 police officers had been deployed to Andy’s Motel in the 22200 block of Highway 99. Lynnwood police, including a hostage negotiator, joined the Edmonds officers.
“They took all the appropriate actions,” Marsh said.
Police had gone to the motel with a search warrant Tuesday morning. They were looking to recover stolen goods.
A woman answered the door, but initially refused to come outside, according to a police report. When she did, she was put in handcuffs.
The suspect could face a string of charges, police said.
“There was a lot of property found in the room,” he said. “Now comes the hard part of finding out who it belongs to.”
The loot included jewelry, power tools, victims’ personal paperwork and three safes. Drugs also were found.
Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446, stevick@heraldnet.com
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