Pierce County authorities have confirmed that they are dealing with a hostage situation and shooting scene near Tacoma. The Pierce County Sheriff’s Department said the incident was occurring at Sky Motors, which is a car dealership in Parkland, Washington near the city. However, they now say they have rescued the hostage but are still fending off gunfire from the holed-up suspect.
Scene is directly across Pacific Ave. from Saars Marketplace; all grocery employees & customers are in lockdown inside the store until they can safely be escorted out of the store.
Air space over the area was being shut down. “Suspect is continuing to fire numerous rounds, is believed to be in possession of multiple firearms including long guns. Multiple agencies on scene & attempting to make contact with suspect for negotiations. All lanes of Pacific Ave. remain shut down,” authorities said around 9:20 p.m. The suspect was eventually taken into custody.
Body armor taken off suspect. Confirmed suspect was hit once in the vest by a round fired by our deputies, is being evaluated by medics but no serious injuries. No deputies or officers injured, no hostages injured, no bystanders injured.
Buildings have been cleared, no additional victims or suspects. Detectives & forensics on scene, will be processing throughout the night & interviewing multiple witnesses & victims. Pacific Avenue will be reopened as soon as possible, please continue to utilize alternate routes.
An employee was held hostage during a robbery that went “sideways” at a used car dealership, according to The Tacoma Tribune. The suspect then became trapped in the business and fired at deputies, the newspaper reported, adding that, according to authorities, the robber was “well-armed.” There were three other workers in the dealership, but all escaped.
The trapped suspect was still firing away at deputies around 9 p.m., authorities revealed, creating a dangerous scene. “Multiple law enforcement agencies responding to active shooter situation at Sky Motors in Parkland. Pacific Ave. is completely blocked in the area of 134th St. Public urged to stay out of the area as suspect is continuing to fire shots at deputies,” wrote the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department.
“Armed suspect entered business & took 1 person hostage. Suspect fired multiple rounds inside business, hostage has been rescued by deputies. Suspect continues to fire off numerous rounds at deputies & across Pacific Ave., is believed to be barricading himself inside the business,” the Sheriff’s Department explained on Twitter. “All deputies & officers are accounted for and uninjured, SWAT is on scene and additional resources are arriving at the location.”
Armed suspect entered business & took 1 person hostage. Suspect fired multiple rounds inside business, hostage has been rescued by deputies. Suspect continues to fire off numerous rounds at deputies & across Pacific Ave., is believed to be barricading himself inside the business.
“Shots still being fired please keep area clear traffic being diverted. Unknown how many suspects. Deputies believe they rescued last remaining hostage,” the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department wrote earlier on Twitter.
“Incident occurring at 13401 pacific ave sky motors,” the Sheriff’s Department wrote on the evening of September 6, 2018. K5News reported that the incident was occurring between Spanaway and Tacoma, Washington.
According to The News Tribune, the shooting occurred in a business that is located in the 13300 block of Pacific Avenue South in the Washington State city. It’s not yet clear whether there are any injuries or the suspects’ identities.
Saars Marketplace, a local supermarket, is located at 13322 Pacific Ave S in Tacoma. Reports on Twitter said that the incident was unfolding near or in Saars. Sheriff’s officials then confirmed that the incident was occurring at the car dealership, not the grocery store. Sky Motors advertises what it calls cheap and reliable cars.
Here’s what you need to know:
The Incident Closed Traffic Lanes in Spanaway
Sheriff’s officials updated the community in a series of tweets, writing, “Multiple shots fired at deputies. SWAT team on scene. Stand by for media staging and updates. Scene is hot and active. Detective Troyer en route.”
They wrote around 8:20 p.m. on the west coast, “All lanes closed between 132nd and 138th and Pacific Ave in Spanaway extreme danger multiple shots fired. Hostage situation at 134th and pacific ave.”
This post will be updated when more information is known.