Standoff in Spanaway: Woman in custody after pointing rifle at deputy

SPANAWAY, Wash. - Deputies responding to a burglary in progress in Spanaway Tuesday morning ended up in a standoff with a woman who pointed a rifle at a deputy. 

According to the Pierce County Sheriff's Office, it happened in the 15800 block of 5th Avenue East just after 10 a.m. A neighbor saw the woman breaking into a home, which turned out to be her parents' home. 

Deputies surrounded the house when they arrived, and one deputy tried to contact the woman through a broken window. He asked her to step outside, and that's when she disappeared briefly and returned with a rifle pointed at the deputy.

Standoff in Spanaway (Photo courtesy Pierce County Sheriff's Office)

The woman involved has a history with the sheriff's office and has had mental health problems in the past. 

A SWAT team and negotiators were called to the scene. She was taken into custody without incident just before 1 p.m.

The house is across the street from Thompson Elementary School and Spanaway Middle School, both of which were in lockdown during the standoff.