Ellensburg Man In Custody After Brandishing Rifle In Public
A 28-year-old man is in the custody of a mental health facility after police say he brandished a firearm in public and made threats of violence against law enforcement in Ellensburg last week.
Numerous citizens called to report the man was on foot and armed with a rifle along Airport Rood near Bowers Field at around 8 p.m. on Thursday, February 29.
Officers with the Ellensburg Police Department contacted the man on his cell phone after his family provided them with his number, and he reportedly said he would shoot any law enforcement who approached him in an attempt to commit "suicide by cop".
The Kittitas County Sheriff's Office launched a drone to monitor the man's movements and a deputy crisis negotiator then made contact with the man, who surrendered peacefully and was taken into protective custody.
No Injuries were reported.
