A 45-year-old man who allegedly threatened friends with a firearm was taken into custody Wednesday following a three-hour standoff in an apartment complex in east Vancouver, according to the Vancouver Police Department.
John C. Picano, no hometown listed, was arrested on suspicion of felony harassment and first-degree assault and burglary.
Police were first dispatched about 8 a.m. to a weapons disturbance at First Street Apartments, in the 300 block of Southeast 166th Avenue. Police temporarily blocked off a section of Southeast First Street to traffic during the standoff.
Vancouver Police Department spokeswoman Kim Kapp said the man was in an apartment with acquaintances when he made the threats.
The occupants escaped, but the man refused to come out, creating a barricade situation that prompted a SWAT deployment with multiple police vehicles on scene, including a large RV and a Bearcat armored vehicle.
Lt. Tom Ryan said on scene that crisis negotiators were speaking with the man. He said the man had been drinking Tuesday night, but his level of intoxication Wednesday morning was unknown.
The negotiators tried to get the man to cooperate and exit the building, Ryan said.
Shortly before noon, police deployed gas and Picano came out and was taken into custody. There were no injuries.
Picano was booked into the Clark County Jail, according to a police statement. It said the investigation is continuing and additional charges may follow.
