Pierce Co. Deputy Confronts Armed, Intoxicated Suspect

PUYALLUP, WA - A Pierce County deputy, new to the department, had to confront an armed and intoxicated man at a local gas station recently. In addition to the gun, the suspect had drugs and a credit card writer in his car.

The deputy responded to the Canyon Road Gas & Deli around 3:45 a.m. Saturday on a report of a man refusing to leave the parking lot. The suspect was slumped over the wheel of a Honda Accord with the engine running.

The deputy reached in and shook the suspect's shoulders trying to wake him. That's when the suspect began reaching for his waistband and the deputy spotted a pistol on the driver's seat between the suspect's legs.

The deputy stood back from the suspect, drew his own gun, and ordered the man to get out of the car. The suspect complied, and when he got out of the car, deputy saw the gun and a bag of pills that the man had been sitting on.

Police got a search warrant for the car and found: three cell phones, Xanax, someone else's military ID, a credit card writer, and a box containing checks and a prescription pad. The gun turned out to have been stolen in Kent.

The 29-year-old suspect was booked on charges including possession of a firearm, DUI, possession of a stolen firearm, and two counts of possession of drugs.

Image courtesy Pierce County Sheriff