More details on last night's SWAT operation on 24th

By scott
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The house that was at the center of the stand-off in the 1800 block of 24th

We've got some new details about the lengthy SWAT stand-off that blocked off multiple streets around 24th & Denny last night.

SPD spokesperson Sean Whitcomb told us that the suspect was spotted by detectives outside the house at 5:46pm regarding a $15,000 felony warrant for narcotics, a non-violent crime. He ran inside the house before police could make contact with him, setting up the four hour stand-off with a very large police presence.

There was no crime in progress when the incident started. Detectives and federal members of a Major Crimes Task Force were only involved due to the outstanding warrant.

Negotiators were brought in and made loudspeaker announcements for the suspect and other occupants of the house to come out, but no one ever did. Then at around 9:30pm a decision was made to de-escalate the situation.

Regarding the decision to end the operation without having the suspect in custody, Whitcomb said that a tactical entry of a residence is always a risky option, and that commanders chose not to escalate this incident in part due to the fact that it was regarding a narcotics warrant and there was no crime in progress.

tags: SWAT, Stand-off + add tags
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location: Central AreaSeattle, Washington
posted on Tue, Feb 02, 2010 09:17 AM
last updated on Tue, Feb 02, 2010 10:11 AM
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I'll bet there's a flag on him for officer response bydel1 month ago (0 votes) (report abuse) (reply)
My money is on the guy having a lengthy history of misdemeanor and/or felony violent crimes.
Mildly Embarrassed byALS1 month ago (0 votes) (report abuse) (reply)
I live off the alley this house guards, and I am embarrassed to say that I was home: making dinner, watching a DVD, taking out the trash, and I HAD NO IDEA there was a SWAT operation going on about 75 yards away. Quietest SWAT team I have ever (not) heard. I think the police did make a good call to not go in, guns blazing. The little girl who lives there is very sweet and should not be exposed to the risk of possible crossfire.
thank god bydoug1 month ago (0 votes) (report abuse) (reply)
Thank god they did not attempt "tactical entry." Color me impressed by the judgment of the SWAT commanders.
suspect spotted regarding a *what*? SWAT team, then leave him alone? byPhil Mocek1 month ago (0 votes) (report abuse) (reply)
What is a "$15,000 felony warrant"? I understand what a felony is, and I understand what a warrant (in this general context) is. I'm not familiar with the two of them connected along with a dollar amount.

Maybe he didn't show up for court to defend himself against accusations of felony drug crime (which includes matters as small as possession of 40g of marijuana) after being released on $15K bail? It's really unclear what about this man warranted the extreme response. That the words "felony" and "narcotics" are thrown in the mix should only make that response seem reasonable to those who are heavily influenced by drug prohibitionist propaganda.

Do we have any indication -- other than a witness' claim that a gun was *seen* (but not heard) -- that this person is dangerous? It's odd that the SWAT team was deemed necessary, then that it was considered safe to simply leave him alone.

I hope CHS and CDN follow up on this. It's unacceptable to have such police action in our neighborhoods unless there's *good* reason for it. "Blah, blah, blah, felony narcotics, blah, blah, task force" doesn't cut it.
bail on warrants bydel1 month ago (1 votes) (report abuse) (reply)
The judge issues a warrant for failing to appear. The bail on that warrant is $15K. So, if he's arrested, someone has to post $15K in bail to release him. The bail was no doubt that high due to a lengthy history of failing to appear which, when you have attorneys for both sides present, repeatedly, or even a jury seated, costs the state a lot of money. The response is likely due to the past history of the defendant. People who have attacked officers in the past are flagged. Same with people with a history of weapons charges.
about SWAT teams byJRo1 month ago (0 votes) (report abuse) (reply)
I just noticed that this week's podcast from Howstuffworks guys is about SWAT teams. I haven't listed, but will soon - http://www.howstuffworks.com/stuff-you-should-know-podcast.h
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