A 'heavily armed' suspect is in custody after firing at deputies from a Pierce County business. Four people escaped the shooting scene at Sky Motors between Parkland and Spanaway.
Pierce County Detective Ed Troyer reports deputies shot the suspect, but he was wearing body armor and was not gravely injured.
There are no other injuries to report. Pierce County Sheriff Paul Pastor says it appears to be an armed robbery that "went all wrong."
The scene unfolded across from Saars Marketplace on Pacific Ave. S. Grocery store employees and customers were locked down until deputies took the suspect into custody.
The incident started around 7:45 p.m. when an armed suspect entered a tire shop on Pacific Ave. S. The shop has a Tacoma address, but is located on between Parkland and Spanaway. Everyone inside the tire shop scattered and the suspect went to the business next door.
According to Sheriff Pastor, the suspect entered Sky Motors, asked for a gassed-up car, and held four people at gunpoint. The suspect took one person hostage in the back room. The other three people were able to escape.
Deputies safely rescued the remaining hostage. The suspect stayed holed inside with 'a handgun and more than one long-gun,' according to Sheriff Pastor.
“He is heavily armed, he has fired shots, it is not clear yet if he has fired shots at us or just randomly through the walls," said the sheriff.
Deputies shot the suspect and took him into custody. Deputies removed his body armor and placed him in custody in a police vehicle. The Pierce County Sheriff reports surrounding buildings were cleared and there were no remaining suspects or victims.
Airspace in the area was closed during the incident. Traffic was also impacted, with all lanes closed between 132nd and 138th at Pacific Ave. in Spanaway during the investigation.
