People who know Russell Beery say they were shocked to learn he was the man at the center of an armed standoff at Lakebay Marina Tuesday.
"He was just a really helpful, cheerful guy," said John Lester, who has a boat at the marina. "I remember him getting his skiff out and he would tow kids out in their rafts."
The 56-year-old Beery is accused of firing a shotgun into the air and threatening to blow up the marina, claiming he had wired his boat and a fuel tank with homemade bombs.
The Pierce County Sheriff's Department bomb squad, dive team, SWAT team and marine unit surrounded Beery and were held at bay while negotiators tried to convince him to surrender peacefully.
At one point during the standoff Beery called KIRO 7 Eyewitness News, saying he wanted to talk with Pierce County Superior Court Judge Frank Cuthbertson. He finally gave up after Cuthbertson was brought to the scene and convinced him to surrender.
"Judge came out and did a great job of communicating and opening a dialogue and got him to start making sense," said Pierce County sheriff's spokesman Detective Ed Troyer.
A law enforcement source says Beery may have met Cuthbertson through a mutual friend several years ago.
After his arrest investigators said Beery ranted about a New York crew that was out to get him, complaining about socialists who have the government in their pockets.
"I really don't know what flipped the switch for him to do this," said Lester. "Seems really out of character for him."
Beery was ordered held without bail after a first appearance in Pierce County Superior Court on charges of threat to bomb property and felony harassment. He was ordered to undergo a mental health evaluation before entering pleas to those charges.
KIRO
