Woman at center of standoff in Lacey is now in custody

A 32-year-old woman at the center of a police standoff that began Monday afternoon and ended early Tuesday morning is now in custody, according to Lacey police.

She was treated Tuesday for a dog bite at Providence St. Peter Hospital in Olympia, Sgt. Jaime Newcomb said. After she is released from the hospital, he expects her to be booked on suspicion of first-degree assault.

Lacey police were called to the 6700 block of Steamer Drive Southeast after a report of an assault about 1 p.m. Monday. A male victim was treated for minor injuries outside the house. A firearm and ax also were reportedly inside the house.

A Thurston County SWAT team was dispatched because police thought the female suspect was still inside the residence. When the SWAT team finally went inside, the suspect was not there.

Then, about 1:30 a.m. Tuesday, Lacey police found the woman’s car parked near the home, and a check of the house showed that she may have returned. Police first used a public address system to try to get the woman to leave the house, then the SWAT team fired tear gas into the residence. They later found the woman upstairs.

Newcomb said an ax was recovered from the house and a handgun was found in the woman’s car.

This story was originally published April 30, 2019 at 9:42 AM.