Pierce County authorities have confirmed that they are dealing with a hostage situation and shooting scene near Tacoma. The Pierce County Sheriff’s Department said the incident was occurring at Sky Motors, which is a car dealership in Parkland, Washington near the city. However, they now say they have rescued the hostage but are still fending off gunfire from the holed-up suspect. Scene is directly across Pacific Ave. from Saars Marketplace; all grocery employees & customers are in lockdown inside the store until they can safely be escorted out of the store. pic.twitter.com/awijNC5VHN — Pierce Co Sheriff (@PierceSheriff) September 7, 2018 Air space over the area was being shut down. “Suspect is continuing to fire numerous rounds, is believed to be in possession of multiple firearms including long guns. Multiple agencies on scene & attempting to make contact with suspect for negotiations. All lanes of Pacific Ave. remain shut down,” authorities said around 9:20 p.m. The suspect was eventually taken into custody. Suspect is in custody after exchanging gunfire with deputies. Suspect was wearing body armor & is believed to have been hit by a round fired by our deputies. We are continuing to clear the building & area to ensure there are no additional victims or suspects involved. pic.twitter.com/BM2rRf5cYv — Pierce Co Sheriff (@PierceSheriff) September 7, 2018 Body armor taken off suspect. Confirmed suspect was hit once in the vest by a round fired by our deputies, is being evaluated by medics but no serious injuries. No deputies or officers injured, no hostages injured, no bystanders injured. pic.twitter.com/Yns1AjvFE4 — Pierce Co Sheriff (@PierceSheriff) September 7, 2018 Buildings have been cleared, no additional victims or suspects. Detectives & forensics on scene, will be processing throughout the night & interviewing multiple witnesses & victims. Pacific Avenue will be reopened as soon as possible, please continue to utilize alternate routes. — Pierce Co Sheriff (@PierceSheriff) September 7, 2018 An employee was held hostage during a robbery that went “sideways” at a used car dealership, according to The Tacoma Tribune. The suspect then became trapped in the business and fired at deputies, the newspaper reported, adding that, according to authorities, the robber was “well-armed.” There were three other workers in the dealership, but all escaped. The trapped suspect was still firing away at deputies around 9 p.m., authorities revealed, creating a dangerous scene. “Multiple law enforcement agencies responding to active shooter situation at Sky Motors in Parkland. Pacific Ave. is completely blocked in the area of 134th St. Public urged to stay out of the area as suspect is continuing to fire shots at deputies,” wrote the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department. “Armed suspect entered business & took 1 person hostage. Suspect fired multiple rounds inside business, hostage has been rescued by deputies. Suspect continues to fire off numerous rounds at deputies & across Pacific Ave., is believed to be barricading himself inside the business,” the Sheriff’s Department explained on Twitter. “All deputies & officers are accounted for and uninjured, SWAT is on scene and additional resources are arriving at the location.” Armed suspect entered business & took 1 person hostage. Suspect fired multiple rounds inside business, hostage has been rescued by deputies. Suspect continues to fire off numerous rounds at deputies & across Pacific Ave., is believed to be barricading himself inside the business. — Pierce Co Sheriff (@PierceSheriff) September 7, 2018 “Shots still being fired please keep area clear traffic being diverted. Unknown how many suspects. Deputies believe they rescued last remaining hostage,” the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department wrote earlier on Twitter. “Incident occurring at 13401 pacific ave sky motors,” the Sheriff’s Department wrote on the evening of September 6, 2018. K5News reported that the incident was occurring between Spanaway and Tacoma, Washington. Hostage situation taking place at the intersection of 134th Street and Pacific Avenue, per sheriff’s department. Multiple shots fired, law enforcement says. https://t.co/NbzzLc8FgM — Matthew Keys (@MatthewKeysLive) September 7, 2018 According to The News Tribune, the shooting occurred in a business that is located in the 13300 block of Pacific Avenue South in the Washington State city. It’s not yet clear whether there are any injuries or the suspects’ identities. Saars Marketplace, a local supermarket, is located at 13322 Pacific Ave S in Tacoma. Reports on Twitter said that the incident was unfolding near or in Saars. Sheriff’s officials then confirmed that the incident was occurring at the car dealership, not the grocery store. Sky Motors advertises what it calls cheap and reliable cars. Here’s what you need to know: The Incident Closed Traffic Lanes in Spanaway Gunman storms Sky Motors car dealership in Tacoma and takes hostage before firing at police https://t.co/l3Xk4lTrfn pic.twitter.com/T8XcYvpKUm — Daily Mirror (@DailyMirror) September 7, 2018 Sheriff’s officials updated the community in a series of tweets, writing, “Multiple shots fired at deputies. SWAT team on scene. Stand by for media staging and updates. Scene is hot and active. Detective Troyer en route.” They wrote around 8:20 p.m. on the west coast, “All lanes closed between 132nd and 138th and Pacific Ave in Spanaway extreme danger multiple shots fired. Hostage situation at 134th and pacific ave.” This post will be updated when more information is known.<doc-sep>top stories SUBSCRIBE Invalid email Sign up to receive our rundown of the day'sdirect to your inbox When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time.<doc-sep>
One suspect is in custody after an attempted armed robbery with hostages at a business near Parkland Thursday night. 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. Scene is directly across Pacific Ave. from Saars Marketplace; all grocery employees & customers are in lockdown inside the store until they can safely be escorted out of the store. pic.twitter.com/awijNC5VHN — Pierce Co Sheriff (@PierceSheriff) September 7, 2018 Shelter in place. https://t.co/u5tiKQNgL6 — Pierce County Firefighters (@IAFF726) September 7, 2018 Multiple shots fired at deputies. SWAT team on scene. Stand by for media staging and updates. Scene is hot and active. Detective Troyer en route — Pierce Co Sheriff (@PierceSheriff) September 7, 2018