A 15-year-old boy was found dead inside a home in Cle Elum on Monday afternoon after Kittitas County deputies attempted to take him into custody on an arrest warrant. Officials say the operation stretched over several hours, involved a crisis negotiation team and the county's tactical response unit, and ended without any shots fired by law enforcement.
Warrant Request Set Off Hours-Long Standoff
According to FOX 13 Seattle, the Kittitas County Sheriff's Office received a request from King County Juvenile Court Services to serve an arrest warrant on a 15-year-old who was staying in the Cle Elum area. Deputies responded to the teen's home near Big Creek Road and Nelson Siding Road and attempted to take him into custody, the station reported.
Communication with the teenager broke down around 11 a.m. Monday, and he remained inside the home, per the same report. The Kittitas County Regional Tactical Response Team and crisis negotiators were both called out to the scene as the standoff continued through the day.
Negotiators Got No Response Before Entry
Negotiators made repeated attempts to contact the teen, but he did not respond, the station's report notes. Authorities then obtained a search warrant allowing entry to carry out the arrest. At approximately 2:30 p.m., tactical team members entered the home and found the teenager dead, according to the same account.
Officials said no members of the tactical team fired their weapons during the operation, the outlet reported. The incident concluded by 4:20 p.m. Monday. Authorities have not released the teenager's cause of death or the charge associated with the King County arrest warrant, per the report.
Independent Review Requested
The Washington State Patrol was requested to conduct an independent review and document the scene, FOX 13 Seattle reported, though the outcome of that review has not been reported. The case echoes another fatal law enforcement encounter in Cle Elum, in which a man was shot and killed on Jan. 13 after firing a handgun at a police officer responding to a welfare check at the Stewart Lodge, according to ptleader.com. A preliminary investigation in that earlier case found that officer Brad Helgeson returned fire, shooting the man twice, and that he died from injuries to his upper body, with that investigation turned over to the Kittitas County Sheriff's Department and the Washington State Patrol.
