Woman accused of threatening clerk, neighbors with knife, leading to 6-hour standoff

A knife-wielding accused robber triggered a six-hour standoff at a Prosser apartment building Thursday.

Erica Y. Alvarez’s series of crimes started at 5:30 a.m. when she walked into the Cottage Market on Wine Country Road armed with two kitchen knives, according to court records.

She allegedly went behind the counter and grabbed cigarettes and alcohol before a clerk spotted her. When the clerk tried to stop her, she allegedly threatened to kill the female clerk if she came any closer.

Then at 9:30 p.m., she started threatening people with a knife in her apartment building in the 1800 block of Wine Country Road, Prosser police said in a release. When officers arrived they saw her outside carrying a large knife in her hand.

They recognized her from the description of the robber earlier in the day.

When she spotted the officers, Alvarez started screaming and allegedly waving the knife at them in a threatening manner. She proceeded to go into her apartment and barricade the door.

Officers tried talking to her, but she responded by screaming and throwing items inside the apartment.

Prosser police asked for help from the Benton County Sheriff’s Office and the Tri-City Regional SWAT team. They continued to try and talk to Alvarez, but she refused to communicate.

Police finally used non-lethal chemical devices in her apartment, which led to her coming out. She was arrested without further incident.

After being examined at Prosser Memorial Hospital, she was taken to Benton County Jail on booked on suspicion of first-degree robbery.

This story was originally published December 10, 2021 at 4:46 PM.