SEQUIM — A San Francisco man was arrested for investigation of first-degree assault and firearm possession after a three-hour standoff just north of Sequim on Monday.
Joshua Michael Lemaster, 23, surrendered without incident when Clallam County sheriff’s deputies and Sequim police used a search warrant to enter a residence at 260 House Road and arrest the man inside a living room.
Investigators recovered a 22.-caliber rifle, a pellet rifle and a knife inside the house.
The weapons were not in Lemaster’s immediate possession when he was arrested, Clallam County Sheriff’s Detective Sgt. Lyman Moores said.
Lemaster was booked into the Clallam County jail at about 6 p.m.
Alleged assault
Witnesses said Lemaster, who also goes by Tyler Michael Williams, allegedly assaulted a neighbor earlier in the day.
Clallam sheriff’s deputies were first called to the residence at 1:25 p.m. to investigate the disturbance.
Acting on a tip, Sequim police found the vehicle Lemaster was driving in the Sequim area.
“He had already gotten out of the car,” Moores said.
“He was gone.”
Neighbors called dispatchers again at about 3 p.m. to report that Lemaster was back at the house armed with guns.
Witnesses said Lemaster was seen outside of the house and threatened to “shoot up the neighborhood,” Moores said.
Perimeter outside
One witness said Lemaster threw down a knife and assaulted a neighbor earlier in the day.
Deputies obtained a search warrant to enter the house and formed a police perimeter around it outside.
There were 10 sheriff’s deputies, six Sequim police officers and a Lower Elwha Klallam police patrol unit at the scene, Moores said.
“We had a hostage negotiator trying to talk with him,” Moores said.
Sheriff’s Detective Tom Reyes, a crisis negotiator, attempted to contact Lemaster using a bull horn.
When the calls went unanswered, an entry team led by Sheriff’s Sgt. Nick Turner forced open the front door and took Lemaster into custody.
Sequim police officers Maris Turner and Paul Daili de nas escorted Le master from the house to a squad car.
Criminal history
Sheriff’s detectives are trying to piece together Lemaster’s criminal history in California.
During the standoff, the Sheriff’s Office deployed a “reverse 9-1-1” system of telephone calls to notify neighbors and keep them inside their homes.
“It’s in a very dense residential area,” Moores said. “There were a lot of kids, a lot of people out.”
At least one witness reported that Lemaster had been drinking, but there was no immediate indication that drugs or alcohol were involved.
The Sheriff’s Office said Lemaster has recently lived in Sequim.
Lemaster will be formally charged in Clallam County Superior Court.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-417-3537 or at rob.ollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
