PORT ANGELES — A Port Angeles gunman who held off police for two hours Monday night was under treatment for an unidentified illness in the Clallam County jail Tuesday.
Gary L. Blanton, 51, remained in custody Tuesday on $5,000 bail for investigation of reckless endangerment after a tense standoff in a West Port Angeles neighborhood that involved six police agencies.
Police used a stun grenade Monday night to disorient Blanton so he could be apprehend after law enforcement agencies blocked off about 10 square blocks between Eighth and I and 16th and I streets.
After receiving a report of shots fired at about 4:52 p.m., police found Blanton holding a rifle in his back yard at 1223 South I St. and negotiated with him to turn over his weapon.
Witnesses told officers that they had heard Blanton make statements claiming there were bodies inside his residence and in a vehicle.
“When [the call] came in, it sounded like we had a triple homicide,” Port Angeles Police Detective Sgt. Tyler Peninger said.
Peninger said a search team entered Blanton’s residence to determine if there were wounded people in the residence, and did so without alerting the man to their presence.
The residence was found to be unoccupied, and officers found additional firearms in the home, he said.
Police found no bodies or injured persons in the home or in nearby cars or bushes.
One of the firearms had blood droplets on it, and officers are investigating the source of the blood, according to police.
Additional interviews are required to determine final charges against Blanton, Peninger said Tuesday afternoon.
On Tuesday afternoon, Blanton was reported to be ill, and was under the care of a nurse in the jail, Peninger said.
Peninger said he could not release information about Blanton’s illness or results of medical tests.
He is the father of Gary L. Blanton, Jr., who was killed on June 2, 2012, at the age of 28, Peninger said.
In September 2012, Patrick Drum pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated first-degree murder in the June shooting deaths of the younger Blanton and Jerry W. Ray, 56, of Port Angeles.
Drum was sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole.
Police negotiated with Blanton until shortly after 7 p.m., when they were able to take him into custody.
During the standoff, Blanton refused to engage with the negotiator, and simply lay out in his yard, according to police.
Residents in the outermost area were allowed access to their homes and curious residents gathered outside of police lines.
Personnel from six agencies assisted Port Angeles police during the incident.
The Clallam County Sheriff’s Office set up its mobile command unit at the scene, and other agencies involved included Elwha tribal police, U.S. Border Patrol, State Police, U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service and the Port Angeles Fire Department.
A helicopter hovered above the area to help track Blanton in case he fled the scene.
Blanton was taken to Olympic Medical Center for examination before he was booked into jail.
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Reporter Arwyn Rice can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5070, or at arice@peninsuladailynews.com.
