Suspicious vehicle turns into standoff near Walla Walla VA

What started as a report of a suspicious vehicle turned into a 45-minute standoff near the Walla Walla Veterans Affairs medical center.

Federal police responded to a report of a car parked behind the St. Michael veteran housing complex at 7:15 a.m. Wednesday. The former officer quarters, which Catholic Charities turned into affordable housing last year, are on VA property.

When federal police got there, they found a man coming back to the car. The officers began talking to him, he provided ID and got into the car, VA officials said. Then he pulled a knife, held it to his throat and threatened to kill himself.

Walla Walla police arrived to help. A group of five officers succeeded in getting the man outside and made sure he didn’t hurt himself, officials said. Officers took him off VA property for further evaluation.

The suspect, who was not named, did not threaten any other person.

This story was originally published September 20, 2017 at 12:46 PM with the headline "Suspicious vehicle turns into standoff near Walla Walla VA."