EVERETT — A six-hour standoff in Everett on Wednesday, complete with heavily armed SWAT team members, may have been the result of a misunderstanding.
A man who was suspected of kidnapping a woman was released after police determined there was no evidence he’d committed that crime, Everett police officer Aaron Snell said.
Police now believe the woman who reportedly said she was held against her will actually may have been free to leave.
Detectives were left with more questions than answers. They still were piecing together what happened late Wednesday.
It all began with what initially was reported as a disturbance call. Neighbors saw a woman screaming for help, Snell said.
The man, 45, and woman, 27, had attended a party Tuesday night. The man reportedly brought the woman back to his apartment in the 4600 block of Fowler Avenue afterward.
She left around 8 a.m., which is when neighbors spotted her and called police thinking she needed assistance. The initial call suggested potential domestic violence.
The woman provided a statement to officers when they arrived, Snell said. She declined to talk with officers later, he said.
The SWAT team was called when the man refused to leave his apartment. Police worried that he may have had access to weapons. A stretch of 47th Street SE was blocked off to the public.
SWAT eventually went into the apartment and the man surrendered. He was interviewed by detectives and later released.
Detectives say more investigation is necessary to clarify whether any laws were broken.
Donald Tysor, 60, was told it wasn’t safe yet to return to his apartment Wednesday morning. He lives in the same building.
Tysor had tried to return home around 11 a.m. with bags of groceries. He found it strange when he passed a church parking lot full of patrol cars. He proceeded to drive down his street and was met by more officers.
Tysor had to turn around. He bought a cooler and some ice for his groceries, and spent the afternoon in the library.
He has lived near Forest Park for more than 20 years. It’s usually pretty quiet, he said.
Caitlin Tompkins: 425-339-3192; ctompkins@heraldnet.com.
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