A TV news helicopter hovered close enough to the scene that deputies could not negotiate with him.

LAKE GOODWIN — A man climbed a tree in an effort to escape Snohomish County sheriff’s deputies Monday, leading to a standoff that lasted nearly two hours.

A homeowner west of Lake Goodwin reported a man tried to steal a tractor Monday morning, according to the sheriff’s office. Other callers reported they’d seen a man acting suspicious in the neighborhood. At one point, he stole a pickup truck, but ditched it as he fled deputies, sheriff’s spokeswoman Shari Ireton said.

A police dog tracked down the suspect around 3:30 p.m., in a tree he’d climbed near 167th Place NW. He was about 20 feet high, Ireton said. Deputies tried to convince him to climb down. He surrendered his pocketknife, but stayed in his perch.

A TV news helicopter hovered close enough to the scene that deputies could not negotiate with the man, over the loud whirring of the rotor blades, Ireton said.

Eventually the man gave up around 5 p.m., according to the sheriff’s office. He was expected to be booked into jail.