SEATTLE — A 47-year-old has been arrested for allegedly “menacing officers” while armed with a machete outside a North Seattle church on Tuesday evening.
Police say the man was trespassing at the church on NE 50th Street, in Seattle’s University District, just before 4 p.m. When officers tried to make contact with him, he allegedly began yelling and throwing trash around the property, SPD said.
According to Seattle police, he grabbed a machete and barricaded himself near the church’s main entrance, ignoring commands from police.
The church was evacuated and cordoned off the area.
Police called in negotiators, SWAT, and a crisis intervention team.
The suspect was taken into custody following a standoff that lasted nearly four hours.
They are expected to be booked for felony harassment, possession of a deadly weapon, and obstruction.