Bizarre standoff at 7-Eleven ends peacefully

Update 11:45 a.m: A man with a “very realistic looking Airsoft gun” walked into the 7-Eleven on Leary Way on Saturday night, sparking a strange standoff that closed Leary Way and ended with the suspect in custody.

It began just before 11 p.m. “I was in there and he was chugging a beer and then poured half of it on his head,” says a witness in comments below. “I payed for my stuff and left, and started walking out and he put a gun on top of his head. At that point I left and the first cop was pulling in.” Fortunately, employees and customers were able to escape as police surrounded the building.

A SWAT team and negotiator were called, and they watched as the man danced around the store, cleaning and exercising (some of which we observed from our vantage point nearby). “We’d like you to come out so we can be sure you’re OK,” the negotiator said over the loudspeaker “It’s a little unusual for you to be inside a 7-Eleven by yourself, doing exercises and calisthenics.”

In between the activity, the man would sit on the floor as the negotiator tried repeatedly to convince the man to listen to him. At one point, SWAT set off a flash-bang to get the man’s attention.

Finally, at 1:40 a.m., the man put on his jacket and exited the store with his arms in the air, where he was met with a SWAT team at gunpoint. Police say “a very realistic looking Airsoft gun was in a holster on the suspect’s belt.” The suspect was transported to a hospital for a mental evaluation, and he’ll be booked in jail upon his release. (Thanks Silver for alerting us to the story!)

Geeky Swedes

The founders of My Ballard

101 thoughts to “Bizarre standoff at 7-Eleven ends peacefully”

  1. Suspect has a gun in the waistband from what I hear on the scanner. 6 or 7 people were running out of the parking lot as the suspect was waiving the gun in the air.

  2. I was in there and he was chugging a beer and then poured half of it on his head. Thinking he was just some drunk homeless guy on too many drugs I asked the cashier if I called the police and he said yes. I payed for my stuff and left, and started walking out and he put a gun on top of his head. At that point I left and the first cop was pulling in.

  3. i know there was one guy behind me paying when he pulled the gun out. So there was 2 people left inside, the man paying and the store clerk. Dont know if they got out.

  4. Yeah – “The suspect is wearing a wetsuit, a holster with a gun in it and several “speed loaders.” “

    The store manager just arrived with keys for the store.

  5. one of the officers is looking for a sketch of the interior of the building – interested in places the suspect could hide. I haven't heard anything on radio indicating that they have entered the building. Can anyone advise?

  6. From my experience it hops from one frequency to another when there is ~5s of silence on the current frequency. Thus you get a smattering from all over the city.

    Always enjoyable on Friday and Saturday nights to hear all of the crap that the guys over in the U Dist have to put up with.

  7. It's the one I use from time to time. I'm no expert but it seems to cover cen com and then many unit to unit communications. It can get confusing with all the different incidents but you begin to recognize the voices. Such as tonight at Ballard.
    Of course the meat goes down on the tactical channels (Tac 1 at the 7-11) but I know nothing about accessing these.

  8. I wonder if there is a live scanner for just the Ballard Greenwood area that is online. I have never listened to a scanner. It's amazing all the things going on and how you could easily get hooked into listening to these. It's 1:20am and I'm still awake lol

  9. I don't believe so, at least not that I've noticed, you can hear officers every so often requesting to switch over to a secure channel, but as far as tactical you're probably better off going with a digital trunked police/fire scanner.

  10. It is amazing. For instance apparently there is party with 50 people and a live band over at 46th and Baker. Do you know where your kid are?

  11. Wow! I didn't know komonews had a scanner. Really cool. I'm glad the guy gave himself up…I was praying for those officers. Good night(:

  12. We've had issues with a guy on my street who does weird exercises next to the road. He has long wavy brown hair, in his early 30s, bearded. Anyone know any more details about what this guy looks like?

  13. seems like you are talking about this “trip powers” guy who lives in a motor home usually parked by the power station thing just north of leary on 15th. anyone know what is up with him?

  14. Re: local scanners, according to the Komo site, “Locally you should check out the Intercept Northwest Web site and message boards, and the Radio Reference site has a large community of users who can help you get started.”

  15. Not in this city.

    More likely he'll be given a subsidized apartment to hang out in and do drugs all day when he's not robbing convenience stores.

    It's great living in an Urban Village!

  16. I was driving down Leary to work early last week, this was before 6 am, and the streets were empty. There was some lunatic on the sidewalk with long, wild-looking hair, dressed strangely in some sort of a “Michelin Man” jumpsuit. Now, I've lived around here long enough to not even notice strange looking characters, but this guy was playing a guitar (or at least pretending he was), and he was jumping up and down and screaming (singing?), gyrating, and really working himself up into a froth. If it had been during the Solstice Parade, or even on any evening in Fremont, it would have fit in perfectly. But it was like 5:45 in the morning on a cold, drizzley January morning, and the streets were deserted. He seemed to be completely round the bend, raving out there all by himself.

    Maybe the same guy?

  17. Hey, John – I can understand your consternation, but the reason that “paid” is spelled that way is that the witness typed it that way into the forums. ;-)

    It was late, and he just had a guy with a gun pour beer on himself next to him. I doubt I would be worried about my spelling at that point either.

  18. No John, there was not. That's why you are here seeking your “news”. Comes with the territory. The whining doesn't help. Go back to bed, get out the other side.

  19. “Thank goodness, Mr. Singh (assuming due to his religion) is a great guy, I was worried he was stuck inside.”

    thanks mongo. we need more ethnocentric stereotyping from yahoos like you glued to your precious little scanner.

  20. I was just getting to sleep last night when I heard the flash bang. I was good to read that everyone was ok and got away from this nut case. We will probably see more of this as more and more people make their way into Ballard. Crimes are on the rise…

  21. Does this 7-11 have “come here if you're crazy, stupid, AND have a gun” sign on it somewhere? This poor store can't seem to catch a break!

  22. Great work on SPD's part in resolving this without any injury to either side. Wonder if he was high. The downside is jerks like this tie up valuable resources as incidents continue otherwise. But again, good work on our officers part and kudos to witnesses for providing them with detailed info.

  23. fiddler crab,

    Maybe you should educate yourself about some world religions.

    http://www.sikhwomen.com/SikhNames/

    I was not doing it do do any stereotyping, he is a very religious man, and I have talked to him about it several times.

    I have been going to his store for years and I consider him a friend, and I was concerned about his safety as a friend. I had actually been in the store an hour before this happened and I knew he was the one working. I never asked his name but if it is a very safe assumption.

  24. “Does this 7-11 have “come here if you're crazy, stupid, AND have a gun” sign on it somewhere?”

    No, that's what the city puts on the “Welcome to Ballard” signs.

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  27. Yesterday, “Trip Powers” motor-home was towed. I really do think it was him. He had been visually changing his motor-home every day up till that Saturday, and he walked up Leary a lot. I have video footage of him during some of his fits.

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