PORT ANGELES — A fugitive wanted on a federal warrant that stemmed from a murder conviction surrendered to police Saturday after hiding in a house on West A Street for about four hours.
The standoff with the unarmed suspect, Leslie G. Wilson, 37, ended at 12:40 p.m. after he walked out of the residence at 806 W. A St.
He had apparently broken into the garage at the house at about 8:15 a.m., police said.
While police attempted to find out if he was inside the house and induce him to talk with them, they closed Eighth Street from the Tumwater Creek bridge to B Street and about a half a block in each direction from the house on A Street.
Wilson surrendered after being in contact with police crisis negotiators through a cell phone that had been placed near the garage at about 11:30 a.m., said Port Angeles Deputy Police Chief Brian Smith.
Smith said a State Patrol SWAT team was en route at the time, in case Wilson didn’t give himself up.
“We were prepared for any number of possibilities, but this ended the way we like it,” he said.
Wilson was wanted for violating probation after serving time following a murder conviction, Smith said.
Smith said that the U.S. Marshals Service told him that the murder took place in 1991 in Neah Bay.
He did not know Wilson’s hometown, but said that Wilson had violated his probation by leaving a half-way home in Seattle about two months ago.
Jack Williams, U.S. Marshals assistant chief for Western Washington, was reached by telephone but did not provide any more information about Wilson.
Four people were sleeping in the house when Wilson broke into the garage and entered a crawl space, Smith said.
The people left at the request of police.
A man, who was staying at the house — which he said belongs to his sister — told a reporter that Wilson is his cousin.
He declined to provide his name.
The man added that they had not expected his visit.
Port Angeles police had been told Wilson was probably in the area and would likely visit the home, Smith said.
A police officer saw Wilson enter the garage that morning, and radioed for back-up.
State Patrol and federal Border Patrol officers assisted the Port Angeles police.
Throughout the standoff, several police officers, some with assault rifles, stood near the front and back of the home.
Despite being armed, the police were “very accommodating,” said Dan Erwin, 37, who lives across the street from the home and witnessed the standoff.
“They were trying to get him to use the phone in the garage.”
They were saying they wanted to end it peacefully.”
Federal court
Wilson is being held in the Clallam County jail, but will be picked up by the U.S. Marshals Service before Monday, when he will appear in federal court in Tacoma, Smith said.
U.S. Marshals were en route to Port Angeles during the standoff, but didn’t arrive before the arrest.
Saturday’s incident is the second standoff between law enforcement and a subject inside a home last week on the North Olympic Peninsula.
A 22-hour standoff ended Thursday on the Lower Elwha Klallam reservation with the arrest of Peter Stephan III, who was armed, by the FBI.
Stephan will also appear in federal court in Tacoma on Monday. He will face assault charges for allegedly harming his wife and 18-year-old daughter on Wednesday.
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Reporter Tom Callis can be reached at 360-417-3532 or at tom.callis@peninsuladailynews.com.
