SEQUIM — Clallam County Sheriff’s deputies arrested a Sequim man who had barricaded himself with a rifle and fired about 25-30 rounds at law enforcement officers from a residence in the 200 block of Village Lane near Carlsborg Road.
No shots were fired by law enforcement, and there were no injuries during the Tuesday morning incident, the Sheriff’s Office reported.
Justin Cox, 37, was arrested on investigation of seven counts of first-degree assault against law enforcement, first-degree malicious mischief, unlawful possession of a firearm and reckless endangerment, the Sheriff’s Office said.
Sheriff Brian King said Cox was taken into custody about 11:30 a.m. following the deployment of the Peninsula Crisis Response Team, which included two armored vehicles.
The initial call came in at 8:04 a.m. describing a shirtless man who said he was the Messiah.
“He was acting erratically with businesses in area, stated he was armed and had ammunition, and made a number of statements,” King said.
The Sheriff’s Office reported the incident in a social media post and asked residents to stay inside.
King said once Cox left businesses in the area, he went to a residence next to the Business Loop area. There was no history that Cox lived at the residence he ran into, the Sheriff’s Office said.
Another man at the residence opened the front door and spoke with deputies while Cox continued to yell in the background, the Sheriff’s Office said. Initially, the man said he didn’t want to leave the area and believed he could calm Cox down.
Then Cox produced an AK-47-style rifle and made threats to shoot law enforcement from inside the residence.
Law enforcement formed a perimeter around the residence for containment and began to evacuate neighboring residents. Shortly thereafter, the man inside the home where Cox was located evacuated safely and told law enforcement officers that Cox was the only other person inside.
Crisis negotiators responded with the armored vehicles and told Cox over a loudspeaker he was under arrest and given instructions to safely surrender, the Sheriff’s Office said.
A search warrant for the property was obtained from a judge, and law enforcement officers held the perimeter while negotiators attempted to communicate with Cox on a plan of surrender, the Sheriff’s Office said.
Just after 11 a.m., Cox began shooting rounds through the front of the residence, striking one of the armored vehicles and a neighboring house, the Sheriff’s Office said.
“He fired several rounds in the direction of our officers,” King said, adding most were at the armored vehicle.
“There may be some hits on some of our vehicles,” he said.
Members of the crisis response team were inside the armored vehicle when it was struck, the Sheriff’s Office said.
The crisis response team used an armored vehicle to breach a window on the front side of the residence and deployed chemical munitions, the Sheriff’s Office said.
Cox left through the back of the residence and attempted to flee the scene on foot unarmed, the Sheriff’s Office said. He was apprehended while running through a neighboring property, the agency added.
“Deputies were able to track him down,” King said.
Medics responded to provide any necessary treatments, but Cox did not appear to have any injuries, the Sheriff’s Office said.
Cox has seven prior felony convictions and is known to law enforcement officers from multiple encounters, the Sheriff’s Office said. Due to the prior convictions, he is prohibited from possessing firearms.
“He’s a lone actor,” King said of Tuesday’s incident.
Sheriff’s deputies remained on the scene Tuesday to investigate the incident.
Partner agencies which responded included the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, Port Angeles Police Department, Sequim Police Department and Clallam County Fire District 3.
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Editor Brian McLean can be reached at 360-417-3531 or by email at brian.mclean@peninsuladailynews.com.
