Tri-Cities woman barricaded herself in gas station after threats to customers with a knife
A Kennewick woman is in jail after barricading herself in a Pasco travel stop, leading to an hours-long standoff with police.
Officers were already looking in Benton County for Jasmine Iweta Stewart, 42, when she began threatening people at the Love’s Truck Stop in Pasco Thursday night, according to a social media post from Pasco police.
Around 7:30 p.m. customers began reporting a woman behaving erratically around the gas pumps.
Stewart was allegedly brandishing a knife and threatening to kill people. She had been contacted by police after similar behavior in Benton County earlier in the day, but reportedly fled.
When Pasco police arrived at Love’s, Stewart barricaded herself in her vehicle, wielding two knives, and threatened to kill officers, according to the post.
Pasco police called in SWAT and crisis negotiators and tried to deescalate the situation. Photos show officers surrounding the vehicle and using a drone to monitor the situation from a distance.
Stewart was taken into custody after several hours and booked into the Franklin County Jail on suspicion of attempting to elude and six counts of threats/harassment.
It’s unclear if she’ll be facing charges for the threats made in Benton County.
