Suspect arrested following domestic violence standoff in South Seattle
SEATTLE - An hours-long SWAT standoff in South Seattle ended peacefully after police said a man involved in a domestic violence assault barricaded himself in a basement.
Neighbors were told to stay in their homes while police negotiated with the suspect.
They woke up to Seattle Police and SWAT officers lining their street trying to get the man barricaded inside to come out.
"They just told us that somebody violent was in there, but they didn't tell us anything about it," neighbor Abel Mendoza told FOX 13 News.
Mendoza stumbled upon the scene on Sunday morning while walking to grab breakfast.
He saw Seattle police, SWAT officers and vehicles, yellow crime tape and negotiations underway to get a man barricaded in a house near 23rd Ave. S. and S. College Street to surrender.
Mendoza said the scene is unsettling, and police activity has become the norm in the neighborhood.
"It's a lot of crime. It's a lot of crime especially in Rainier Valley, in this street right here," he said.
Seattle police shut down the area for more than three hours.
They used a megaphone to instruct the man to come out with his hands up.
SWAT officers also used flash bangs.
All the while, neighbors were told to stay inside their homes.
Mendoza said it's a turbulent time in the community.
"I work in Lowe's, and so we have thefts every day. Not once or twice, but every day, and it's stressful, it's just annoying and we're not surprised if somebody pops up with a gun and just tries to kill us for, you know, pocket change," he said.
After hours of back and forth with the suspect, Seattle Police brought the barricaded man out of the home in handcuffs, escorting him away safely and peacefully.
People said they're still a bit shaken up by the scene.
"It's really sad. It's really sad. The good ole' Seattle that we believe in, that we, you know, we can make a life out of it, no more, no more," Mendoza said.
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Neighbors said this kind of activity is becoming more frequent and they're hoping this will be the last big scene for at least a while.
FOX 13 News also reached out to Seattle police for more information about what happened.
A spokeswoman told us, "due to the sensitive nature of domestic violence incidents, we generally don't provide many details about those incidents."