Bellevue standoff ends with man's surrender

A Bellevue man suspected of hitting his girlfriend and threatening her with a gun surrendered to police Sunday night after an eight-hour standoff.

The 27-year-old man brandished a gun at his 33-year-old girlfriend during a morning argument in a third-floor apartment at 145th Place Southeast and Southeast 24th Street, police said.

The woman's 14-year-old son left the building and called relatives to report the incident. Police were notified around 11:40 a.m., according to Bellevue police Lt. Marcia Harnden.

The woman, who had facial lacerations, left the apartment building safely with two other young children, Harnden said.

Police surrounded the building and evacuated residents. They tried to persuade the man inside to surrender, but he refused for several hours — even after police fired multiple rounds of chemical agents into the apartment.

The man finally gave up just before 8 p.m. after talking with negotiators. Other than irritation from the chemicals, he was uninjured, Harnden said. A dog in the apartment was sent to a veterinary hospital for examination due to the chemical exposure.

The Bellevue Fire Department opened an emergency shelter for residents displaced by the incident. While most tenants were expected to return to their apartments Sunday night, Harnden said some nearby units were in need of decontamination due to the chemicals used by police.

The suspect, whose name was not released, is a felon who cannot legally possess a firearm, according to Harnden.He was arrested on suspicion of first-degree assault and was expected to be booked into King County Jail.

Jim Brunner: 206-515-5628 or jbrunner@seattletimes.com