Renton Man Threatens To Ignite Gas Line During Standoff

RENTON, WA - Police evacuated homes in the Fairwood neighborhood Wednesday night because a person was threatening to ignite a natural gas line. The King County Sheriff's Office engaged in a brief standoff with the man at his home along the 17000 block of 136th Place before taking him into custody.

The incident began around 6 p.m. when police and firefighters were summoned to the area on a report of a gas leak. They arrived to find the man threatening suicide by igniting the gas line. He had barricaded himself inside the home.

The standoff lasted about 45 minutes, an then a hazmat team investigated the area to secure any gas leak. After the man's mother called 911 to report his suicide threats, natural gas lines in the area were shut off, reducing the threat of an explosion.

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