A nine hour standoff at a residence in the Wilderness Rim area outside of North Bend ended Tuesday night after the hostage was released and the armed suspect captured.  King County Sheriff’s Office TAC 30 (SWAT), Hostage Negotiation Team, and numerous deputies and detectives spent all day working to end the standoff that began when someone called 911 to report a male and female in a disturbance at the residence and the male had a gun to her head.  When deputies arrived this morning the people in the house refused to come out.

The isolated Wilderness Rim neighborhood was full of dozens of police all day as TAC 30 units maintained safety around the house and negotiators communicated with the 41 year old male suspect inside the house.  At about 5:40 p.m., negotiators convinced the suspect to allow the 39 year old female hostage to leave the house.  She was safely escorted away by deputies and reunited with family.

At about 7:15 p.m., the suspect was eventually convinced to vacate the house after TAC 30 units deployed noise and gas charges into the house.  As the suspect was walking out of the house, he stumbled and accidentally shot himself in the chest.  The TAC 30 units waiting outside responded by quickly securing the gun and bringing in Medics awaiting nearby.

The suspect’s injuries are non-life threatening.  He was transported to Harborview Medical Center for treatment and will be booked in to King County Jail on release.  King County Major Crimes will further investigate.

Some Snoqualmie Valley School District bus routes were impacted by the police activity, but everything is back to normal for Wednesday.