Arlington Man Shoots Self in Arm During Standoff

Arlington, WA – A 51-year old Arlington man is in the hospital after accidentally shooting himself in the arm during a standoff with Law Enforcement Tuesday Evening.

A Fish and Wildlife Officer noticed a suspicious man standing outside of his vehicle around 8:30 pm in a wooded off-road area near Blue Stilly Park.  The wildlife Officer approached the man and noticed he had what appeared to be drugs in his vehicle.

According to Washington State Patrol Sergeant  Mark Francis, the man admitted to the Wildlife Officer that he did have drugs in his vehicle and the wildlife Officer told the man to step away from the car but the man defied orders and proceeded to get back into his vehicle.

The man then barricaded himself in the vehicle and pulled out a gun and held it to his own head.   The Wildlife Officer requested back up and multiple law enforcement agencies responded to the scene, including Troopers from the Washington State Patrol, Deputies from the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office and Officers from the Arlington Police Department.

Negotiators responded to the scene and at some point the man accidentally shot himself in the arm before negotiators talked him into throwing the gun out of the vehicle and surrendering.

The man, who was not identified was transported to an area hospital and charges are pending against him.