Details released on police incidents in Aberdeen; including a standoff and two bridge jumpers
The Aberdeen Police Department has issued further information following their response to East Aberdeen this week that stopped traffic coming into the area, as well as their response to a woman who jumped from the Chehalis River Bridge.
According to their release, two men are in custody following unrelated incidents within blocks of each other.
Summit Street Standoff
Just after noon, Aberdeen Police Officers were dispatched to a report of a subject with a rifle inside a home in the 900 block of Summit Street. According to callers, the man was threatening to kill people inside, and as officers responded it was reported that the man had fired a round from the rifle.
Officers set up a perimeter around the home and were able to call out the victims and witnesses as the armed man remained in the home.
The Aberdeen Regional Crisis Response Unit (CRU), consisting of officers from the Aberdeen, Hoquiam, Montesano and Cosmopolis Police Department along with deputies from the Grays Harbor County Sheriff’s Office, responded along with a Designated Crisis Responder (DCR) to attempt to contact the suspect. The man reportedly refused to speak to anyone on scene.
According to the report, the standoff continued for six hours as negotiators tried to communicate with the man. APD says that it was only when CRU deployed CS gas into the home that the suspect eventually surrendered.
Aberdeen Police Detectives executed a search warrant at the residence and recovered the firearm.
A 30-year-old Aberdeen resident was taken into custody.
Man on Wishkah Street Bridge
The police response that stopped traffic began when a 38-year-old man, described as a transient in Aberdeen, climbed to the top of the Wishkah Street Bridge. Officers responding to the nearby standoff responded, along with the a Designated Crisis Responder and to CRU Crisis Negotiators.
Responders were able to climb up the structure to speak to the man, who after 3.5 hours climbed partially down befor jumping into the water where he was rescued by the GHCSO Marine Unit. Aberdeen Fire Department Paramedics checked on him and he was then taken into custody for disorderly conduct and criminal trespass.
The man was booked into the Aberdeen City Jail.
Woman jumps from Chehalis River Bridge
In a separate incident on Thursday just before midnight, a woman reportedly jumped from the Chehalis River Bridge.
According to the report, Aberdeen Police Officers, an Officer from the Cosmopolis Police Department, and the Aberdeen Fire Department (AFD) all responded in an attempt to save the woman. The United States Coast Guard (USCG) was also notified and responded.
APD states that officers and firefighters could see the female hanging on to a piling in the middle of the river before floating upstream. The USCG was able to recover the female nearly 40 minutes after she had entered the water and get her to the waiting AFD ambulance. She was transported to Harbor Regional Health Community Hospital for treatment.
The Aberdeen Police Department issued numerous thanks to those who assisted in the calls.
“We would like to thank the Washington State Patrol and Washington State Department of Transportation for their assistance during the incident. Also, the Aberdeen Walmart donate food and water for first responders who were on scene at the two incidents.”
“In addition to those already mentioned, we would like to thank the public for their patience during these critical incidents. The safety of the public, our officers, and the subjects we are attempting to help take precedence over traffic related issues. We do not take our responsibility lightly and strive to seek a peaceful resolution in these critical incidents. We are fortunately able to report all of these ended peacefully and we were able to get those in crisis the help they required and those accountable for criminal conduct were taken into custody.”