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After a very tense four+-hour stand-off, the King County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a man at Big 5 Sporting Goods on SW 148th Street Tuesday morning (Dec. 2) after he apparently rammed his vehicle through the front door.
Despite the huge police turnout, and the fact that the man had tried to steal guns from the business, there were no injuries reported. No employees were inside at the time of the attempted drive-through.
Police say that the suspect crashed a mini-van into the front door, drove around inside, then got stuck trying to exit.
He then barricaded himself inside the business, hiding for a while inside the rafters near the ceiling, according to police.
A SWAT team was called, armed police were seen on the roof and around the building, and a heavily armed vehicle was positioned at the front door. A flash grenade was set off, a robot was sent inside, and police used a chainsaw to cut into the roof.
Apparently the usually-locked guns and ammunition cases inside the store were broken into, and police say the suspect had loaded weapons into his vehicle.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) was on scene as the stand-off wound down.
Police closed the usually-busy SW 148th Street from 1st Ave South to 4th Ave SW as a precaution and urged motorists to use alternate routes during the standoff.
At 11:48 a.m., police sent out this Tweet, showing the damage inside the store:
Around 11 a.m. Burien Police announced that one suspect had been arrested:
Police also report that the suspects were “trying to steal guns”:
Deputies first responded around 7 a.m. after receiving a report of a vehicle crashing into the building, located at 125 SW 148th Street.
We haven’t heard yet of any lockdowns at nearby schools, but the administration at Kennedy Catholic High School, located eight blocks to the north, sent out this email:
Dear Parents and Guardians,
The news has been covering a break-in at the Big 5 sporting goods store in Burien. At this time 148th Street is closed with tactical teams surrounding the store with suspects inside.
We have been alerted by authorities of a potential safety concern and we remain in close communication for any status changes. The safety committee is on standby to implement lockdown, should it be necessary.
We will keep you informed as the day progresses. The safety of the students is our highest priority.
The Administration
And the Highline School District sent out this notice about Highline High School (located at 225 S. 152nd Street) just after 11 a.m.:
“There is police activity in the area of SW 148th and 1st Avenue at the Big 5 store in Burien. Police have recommended students at Highline High School stay on campus during lunch today so we have closed campus. The activity is currently contained inside the Big 5 store and not affrecting any other schools. We have additional security officers on hand at area schools and are monitoring the situation closely. We will take appropriate steps to keep students safe as directed by the King County Sheriff.”
Here’s a photo courtesy David Sharpe, who added “Very crazy!!! The place was surrounded with police. From what I understand the police caught the robbers. At least that is what one officer told me.”:
![Big5Crash]()
Here are some photos taken near the scene by Scott Schaefer:
![Big5-2]()
![Big5-1]()
Here are some relevant Tweets:
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