At approximately 9:15 a.m. on Saturday, April 20, Arlington Police responded to a report of a suspicious person at the Arlington Municipal Cemetery, located at 20310 67th Ave. NE. Callers to 911 were reporting the individual was acting unusual and possible gunshots were heard.

On arrival, officers located a man and a vehicle in a wooded area at the rear of the cemetery. Officers reported he was acting erratically and ignoring attempts by officers to communicate with him. Based on the man’s conduct and possible presence of firearms, officers backed out of the wooded area and requested assistance from Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office for additional personnel, Marysville Police Department’s BearCat (armored vehicle), and Snohomish County Fire District #22 (Getchell) with an unmanned aerial vehicle (drone).

Snohomish County Fire District #22 personnel were able to deploy the UAV so that law enforcement could observe the man safely and attempt to establish communication. Officers noted that the man had access to weapons and was clearly in crisis, continuing to act erratically, spray painting his vehicle, and then climbing on top of his vehicle. The man continued to ignore orders from officers.

The BearCat was used by officers to safely approach the man to establish communication and bring him into custody. After more than an hour of attempting to communicate with the man and deploying less lethal force twice, the man surrendered and was taken into custody.

The man was identified as a 21-year-old from Deming, Washington. After initial evaluation and treatment by personnel from the Arlington Fire Department, officers transported the man to Cascade Valley Hospital for evaluation and assessment. Officers intend to book the man into Snohomish County Jail on multiple charges, including unlawful discharge of fireworks, disorderly conduct, and obstruction. Officers recovered drug paraphernalia, fireworks, and multiple weapons including a knife, throwing stars, and a hatchet at the scene.

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