Naked Pasco man beats roommate before standoff with police

A Pasco man is accused of strangling and beating his roommate before getting into a standoff with police.

A 37-year-old man told Pasco police that his roommate, Gerardo Enrique Trejo, 23, emerged from the shower naked shortly before 5:40 p.m. Monday and began strangling and beating the man, Pasco police said on Facebook.

The victim’s nose and two of his teeth were broken, and he nearly passed out during the attack.

The older man escaped from the apartment with Trejo chasing him. As they went outside, the victim’s son was screaming as well. Neighbors heard the noise and called police.

By the time officers arrived, Trejo was back in the basement apartment on the 1100 block of West Yakima Street, and refused to come out.

Pasco police were joined by the Tri-City Regional SWAT team. They hammered on the door and set off a flash-bang grenade outside of his window to get him talking with the police negotiator.

After almost an hour of talking, officers convinced Trejo to leave the apartment.

As soon as police got the handcuffs on him, Trejo started struggling with officers. He spit on one officer, threatened to kill two officers and then spit all over the back of the patrol car, said the post.

He received a medical check and was booked into the Franklin County jail on suspicion of second-degree assault, third-degree assault and making death threats.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to call police through dispatch at 509-628-0333 or email Officer Travis Park at parkt@pasco-wa.gov and reference case no. 20-21641.

This story was originally published July 29, 2020 at 1:39 PM.