Port Townsend suspect climbs 80-foot tree to evade deputies, talked down after 8-hour standoff
A man wanted on an active Department of Corrections escape warrant was safely taken into custody Monday after climbing 80 feet up a tree in Port Townsend and threatening suicide during an hours-long standoff, according to the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office.
Deputies first located the suspect around 9 a.m. on May 26 near Mill Road.
In addition to the escape warrant, the man was also a suspect in two separate burglary and theft investigations in Jefferson County.
Deputies found the man's vehicle hidden in the woods and called for additional units.
Before reinforcements arrived, the suspect spotted a patrol car and ran away toward the nearby Caswell Brown Village neighborhood.
Using a drone, deputies tracked the man as he climbed a large cedar tree, climbing approximately 80 feet in an attempt to avoid arrest.
Deputy Ash Moore with the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office and Officer Fudally with the Port Townsend Police Department led negotiation efforts after the man refused to come down and repeatedly threatened to take his own life.
For nearly eight hours, the two worked to deescalate the situation, eventually persuading the man to descend from the tree safely.
Medics evaluated him at the scene before taking him to Jefferson Healthcare as a precaution.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBS News
2 hours ago
- CBS News
Homeland Security agents crash into and arrest driver in Los Angeles
Security cameras on Wednesday captured Department of Homeland Security agents driving their unmarked cars into a white Mercedes sedan during an arrest operation in a Los Angeles neighborhood. Homeland Security said the agents were targeting a man who allegedly punched a border patrol officer. Surveillance footage showed federal agents using a truck and an SUV to pin the suspect's car along Whittier Boulevard in Boyle Heights. "This was no hit and run. This was a targeted arrest of a violent rioter who punched a CBP officer," Homeland Security posted on X. "When Homeland Security Investigations tried to arrest Christian Damian Cerno-Camacho for the assault, he attempted to flee. He was ultimately arrested and taken into custody." Witnesses said the agents drew their guns and used tear gas before the driver exited the vehicle. One bystander, Verita Topete, said she spoke to a passenger in the car. "They had been following them since Long Beach," Topete said. "He started to drive very suspiciously over here because he felt like he was being followed. That's when they got to this intersection. They supposedly had a warrant for his arrest because he was a protester at the Paramount protest." Topete said the passenger was flustered after the collision. Another witness, Steve Silva, said she had two babies with her. "Literally, one in a crib and the other one maybe 1.5 years old," Silva said. Topete said she stayed with the woman, called paramedics to evaluate the babies and filed a police report against the agents. "They were proud of what they did, which is not OK," Topete said. "They're out here terrorizing this poor woman and her children. I helped her call the paramedics to get her babies checked out and 911 to make a police report because who's going to pay for this?"
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Trump appointee vows to focus DOJ's largest division on DEI, denaturalization
FIRST ON FOX: The newly confirmed head of the Department of Justice's Civil Division sent out a memo hours after being sworn in on Wednesday in which he directed staff to prioritize investigations and bring legal action that involved a slate of conservative priorities, including rooting out antisemitism and diversity, equity and inclusion. Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate's internal memo, first obtained by Fox News Digital, also directed attorneys in the DOJ's largest division to focus on tightening restrictions on transgender medical care and denaturalizing citizens who "illegally procured" naturalization. The memo outlined what areas the Civil Division's lawsuits would center on, bringing proactive litigation to the fore in a division that is otherwise largely focused on defense. The primary task of the division is defending the government in court in non-criminal matters. These include the hundreds of lawsuits President Donald Trump and his administration have been hit with as Trump carries out executive actions that test the limits of presidential authority. Trump Orders Attorney General To Investigate Biden's Autopen Use Civil Division attorneys from the Federal Programs Bench have been fighting court battles with mixed success on behalf of Trump related to his sweeping tariffs, birthright citizenship, activities by the Department of Government Efficiency, and, most recently, his use of the National Guard in California. Read On The Fox News App Shumate was confirmed by the Senate on Monday along party lines. The Civil Division head was seen during the confirmation process as a Trump loyalist. He previously worked as a partner at Jones Day, a Washington-based firm that has represented Trump during his campaigns. Shumate was a top official in the Civil Division for two years during the first Trump administration. Shumate's memo indicated that he wanted to kick off his first day in office by setting a tone for the division's wealth of attorneys that aligned with Trump's and Attorney General Pam Bondi's agendas. In an unusual move, the division will also coordinate with the Civil Rights Division on its anti-DEI efforts by bringing False Claims Act cases related to discrimination, Shumate noted in the memo. Trump has frequently described DEI as discriminatory. "Consistent with these directives, the Civil Division will use all available resources to pursue affirmative litigation combatting unlawful discriminatory practices in the private sector," Shumate article source: Trump appointee vows to focus DOJ's largest division on DEI, denaturalization
New York Times
3 hours ago
- New York Times
Homeland Security Says Video Shows ‘Targeted Arrest,' Not Hit and Run
Federal agents used their unmarked vehicles to pin a car on Wednesday in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles and drew their weapons to make an arrest, prompting angry reactions as video showing the encounter spread quickly on social media. The Los Angeles Police Department initially said officers were investigating the incident near downtown as a possible assault or hit and run. But several hours later, the Department of Homeland Security said on social media that the episode was 'no hit and run.' 'This was a targeted arrest of a violent rioter' who had punched a Customs and Border Protection officer and tried to flee from agents, the department posted on X. It named the person who had been arrested but did not provide charging documents or other evidence. Video of the crash shows two unmarked vehicles — a truck and an S.U.V. — colliding with a white sedan at an intersection. Smoke can be seen behind the sedan as agents immediately exit their vehicles with weapons drawn. The sedan's driver steps out with his hands raised. In another video, apparently recorded moments later, a woman holding a child beside the sedan can be seen asking an agent for the agent's name and badge number. The agent closes the passenger door of the S.U.V., which can be seen leaving the intersection. A press officer for the department did not immediately respond to a request for more details. On social media, the agency said: 'You will not stop us or slow us down. ICE and our federal law enforcement partners will continue to enforce the law. And if you lay a hand on a law enforcement officer, you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.'
