Anacortes police managed to avoid shooting a suspect who pulled a realistic-looking handgun on police officers. Turns out the handgun was only a pellet gun, but it looked pretty real to the police.
Police released this photo of the gun.
On Thursday, Anacortes police responded to a call for assistance from a 20-year-old Anacortes woman who reported that her 22-year-old male roommate had pulled a knife on her. She told officers the man had been drinking, was suicidal and was destroying their apartment. When she approached him, he pulled a knife and told her to stay away from him.
When officers responded, they were met at the entrance by the suspect who first threw a glass bottle at them and then raised a small black handgun at them and told them to shoot him. Officers were able to shoot him with a Taser and subdue him without further injury.
The small handgun turned out to be a Co2 pellet gun. The suspect told officers he was suicidal and wanted them to shoot him. He was taken into custody and transported to Island Hospital for an evaluation and then booked into Skagit County Jail where he faces charges of Investigation of assault.