Pierce County deputies say man was high on PCP during armed confrontation

SPANAWAY, Wash. – A man who told police he was high on PCP was arrested in Spanaway last Saturday after allegedly pointing a gun at a man and child in a car, then engaging in an armed standoff with Pierce County sheriff’s deputies.

The 40-year-old man was booked on suspicion of first-degree assault; felon in possession of a dangerous weapon; resisting arrest; and obstructing law enforcement.

Deputies said the man was suicidal after smoking PCP, and told them “if I wanted people dead, I would have used the gun” as they were driving him to jail.

According to a Facebook post by the sheriff’s department:

The victim called 911 on Saturday afternoon to report that the man had jumped out from behind a tree and pointed a handgun at his car near 160th St. E. and Military Rd. in Spanaway. The victim said the suspect was in a shooting stance, and pointed the gun in a “threatening manner.”

When deputies got to the scene, they found the man carrying a cane – which, it turned out, doubled as a sword – in one hand, while his other hand was concealed under his poncho.

Deputies said they repeatedly tried to get the man to show his hands, and he repeatedly ignored them. Eventually, they took cover behind a ballistic shield and their cars and approached the man, and he threw the gun on the ground before being shocked with a taser and arrested.

The standoff lasted 18 minutes, deputies said. The handgun was a 9mm Ruger loaded with 10 rounds.