Police standoff with 'distraught' man barricaded in vehicle ends peacefully

Bellevue College is shutdown Thursday night while a "distraught" man with a weapon is barricaded in his vehicle in a parking lot on campus, a spokesperson for the Bellevue Police Department said. Bellevue College is shutdown Thursday night while a "distraught" man with a weapon is barricaded in his vehicle in a parking lot on campus, a spokesperson for the Bellevue Police Department said. Photo: Courtesy Of KOMO News Photo: Courtesy Of KOMO News Image 1 of / 5 Caption Close Police standoff with 'distraught' man barricaded in vehicle ends peacefully 1 / 5 Back to Gallery

BELLEVUE, Wash. — UPDATE (10:26 p.m.): The Bellevue Police Department said the situation has ended peacefully. The man is in police custody.

ORIGINAL STORY

Bellevue College is shutdown Thursday night while a "distraught" man with a weapon is barricaded in his vehicle in a parking lot on campus, a spokesperson for the Bellevue Police Department said.

Meeghan Black, spokesperson for the Bellevue Police Department, said a man in his 60's approached a passerby shortly after 5 p.m. and told the person he was in crisis.

At one point he brandished a weapon and the person fled the area to alert authorities. He did not make a threat, but the presence of the weapon was alarming.

We are currently negotiating with a distraught male in his 60s who is barricaded in his vehicle. Police have him surrounded. The Bellevue Campus is closed and anyone on campus may leave through the south or main exits. pic.twitter.com/vWrH0k3lWt — Bellevue, WA Police (@BvuePD) March 6, 2020

An hours-long standoff ensued with the Bellevue Police Department, who are working to get the man barricaded inside the vehicle and de-escalate the situation. Black said the man is "distraught and unpredictable," so the college has been shutdown during the standoff. Students can exit through the main or south entrance at this time, she said.

Black said no one at the college is in danger.

The suspect is not a student or faculty member at the college. Investigators are unsure why he's in the area.

The Renton Police Department and Washington State Patrol are assisting authorities with the standoff. Trained negotiators are communicating with the man, who refuses to get out of his vehicle.

"We are waiting it out and hoping this comes to a successful conclusion," Black said.

This story first appeared on KOMO News.