SUMNER, Wash. — A 46-year-old domestic violence suspect has died following a stand-off that ended with an explosion near Sumner.
Puyallup police responded to a home on 9th St. SE around 3 p.m. for a domestic-violence-related burglary and assault call. A woman called police to say that her ex-boyfriend had forced his way into her apartment, tackled her to the ground and began punching her in the head.
Police said he initially prevented her from calling police, but once she was able to get to her phone again, she called 911 and the 46-year-old ran off.
Puyallup Police and Sumner Police officers responded to the suspect’s last known address on 166th Avenue East, in an unincorporated Pierce County area near Sumner.
Officers tracked the man to that location and tried to get him to surrender peacefully.
According to Puyallup PD, the man eventually came outside but would not comply with officers.
Officers used drones and less-than-lethal options while trying to get the man to surrender.
At one point, as officers moved in to arrest the suspect, he “detonated an explosive device, killing himself,” Puyallup PD wrote.
Four Puyallup Police officers and a Puyallup Police K-9 were in the vicinity of the explosion and were taken to a nearby hospital as a precaution.