MEDICAL LAKE, Wash. — A man accused of firing several shots, including some at Spokane sheriff’s deputies, during an hours-long standoff in Medical Lake was booked into the Spokane County Jail late Sunday night.
Suspect Joshua Richards, 43, appeared in Spokane County Superior Court on Monday, where his bond was set at $250,000.
According to the sheriff’s office, on August 11 at around 6:30 p.m., deputies arrived in the 1000 block of North Olson Street in response to a report of an armed man who was possibly suicidal. While assessing the situation and attempting to evacuate people from the area, deputies heard shots fired in the direction of Richards’ home. They then moved closer, evacuated nearby residents, and established a perimeter around the property. Deputies learned that Richards had returned to his home and fired a rifle.
SWAT teams and crisis negotiators soon arrived to de-escalate the situation and persuade Richards to surrender peacefully. According to the sheriff’s office, Richards pointed a rifle at SWAT team members inside an armored vehicle and fired. The sheriff’s office reported that the bullets did not hit the vehicle, and it is currently unknown where the shots landed.
Crisis negotiators continued their efforts, and at about 9:50 p.m., they successfully persuaded Richards to surrender peacefully. Deputies have established probable cause for six counts of first-degree assault for pointing the rifle at SWAT team members and firing in their direction, as well as one count of reckless endangerment.
