Police standoff in Spanaway leads to arrest of man allegedly fleeing robbery
A man was arrested during a police standoff in Spanaway Tuesday afternoon after he allegedly fled from an armed robbery in Lakewood.
The man was detained after negotiations with him proved unsuccessful and a K9 unit was deployed, Pierce County Sheriff’s Department spokesperson Jeffrey Papen said. The man was pulled from his vehicle and transported to the hospital.
The standoff caused some traffic delays in Spanaway. Police closed Pacific Avenue South from 146th to 152nd streets south while officers responded.
Officers from Lakewood Police Department pursued the man at about 1:45 p.m. after he allegedly fled the scene of a robbery in Lakewood in a truck. Details about the robbery were not available.
Police pursued the man to the 14800 block of Pacific Avenue South, where they were able to stop the man in his truck. Photos from the scene showed the man’s truck jammed between two police vehicles.
Papen said the man barricaded himself in his vehicle while officers tried to negotiate with him.
The man was uncooperative, and at one point, he claimed his vehicle was filled with explosives, Papen said. This proved to be false after police detained him.
Northbound lanes of Pacific Avenue South reopened by about 3 p.m. According to a tweet from the sheriff’s department, southbound lanes will remain closed while crews tow the vehicle away and clean up the road.
This story was originally published October 12, 2021 at 2:45 PM.
