BURIEN, Wash — Investigators say a man dragged out of a Burien sporting goods store after a standoff with police Tuesday actually drove a van around inside the store after crashing through the storefront.
The suspect, Ricky Marvin Arntsen, is in the King County jail after he was released from the hospital overnight.
A four-hour standoff began after the burglar used a minivan as a battering ram to smash through the Big 5 store’s front glass.
“It was a high, intense crash,” said witness Kevin Chaney. “(There was) glass all over the parking lot – matter of fact, the K-9 dog actually had to be carried inside because there was so much glass out front and so much debris.”
Detectives said the man actually drove all around the store, crushing displays, until he got to the rifle racks.
There, he gathered 14 rifles, putting some into his van, as if he could drive out unnoticed.
Deputies cut a hole in the roof, tapped into store surveillance and found the man hiding in the ceiling, alone.
The man was arrested and dragged out of the store, screaming and crying, after he fell out of the ceiling and into a golf club display.
Deputies say Arntsen fought police. Officers had to use a stun gun on him and carry him to an ambulance.
“He’s not probably in his complete right mind. I mean, if you’re going to commit a burglary and want to use stealth, this is not the way to do it,” said Sgt. DB Gates with the King County Sheriff’s Office.
The damage inside the Big 5 store is so extensive that it is not known when it will reopen.
Law enforcement sources say Arntsen is a convicted felon with a long criminal record.
In October 2007, Arntsen was shot by police after a wild chase and confrontation near a North Seattle 7-Eleven store. Officers say they shot him after he rammed a detective's car following a theft and pursuit.
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