EVERETT, Wash. — The Snohomish County government campus in Everett was locked down for several hours due to a standoff between police and an armed suspect, the Snohomish County Sheriff's Office (SCSO) confirmed Monday afternoon.
The government campus is located at 3000 Rockefeller Ave. The lockdown began just before 1 p.m. Monday. The sheriff's office announced just after 3:30 p.m. that the suspect is in custody and there were no injuries related to the incident.
According to SCSO, the suspect was in the lobby and armed with weapons.
Witness Tyson Avery was dropping papers off at the courthouse when he saw the gunman.
"Just going through the metal detector they announced someone was walking up the stairs with guns. I turned around, there he was as I was putting my belt on he had a gun sticking out of his back pack and had another gun in his hands," Avery said.
Sam McCown, another witness, said the man was wearing a backpack and what appeared to be a bullet proof vest.
"It's pretty overwhelming," she said. "I feel like it's one of those things you see on TV and think, 'We're so lucky that sort of thing doesn't happen here,' and then it does. It's not something you can ever really mentally prepare for but yeah, it's been interesting."
The gunman is a 32-year-old man from Woodinville and it is still unclear why he came so heavily armed to the courthouse. He was officially booked into the Snohomish County Jail Monday evening and will have his first court appearance on Tuesday.
The roads surrounding the courthouse have all been reopened, according to the Everett Police Department.
The courthouse were closed to the public as of Monday afternoon. They reopened Monday evening.