A man who fired a shotgun and claimed he had rigged marina fuel tanks with explosives was arrested following a four-hour standoff at a Washington marina.
Russell Beery, 56, fired rounds into the sky on Tuesday from a 30-foot cruiser docked at the marina, according to Det. Ed Troyer with the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department.
“He is threatening to blow up the marina,” Troyer told KOMO News. “He’s also stated if any law enforcement approaches him or in a boat or if any one comes near him he’ll take them out.”
Police said several people on the marina hid in their boats during the standoff for fear the man would shoot at them.
SWAT and other units secured the scene and evacuated some homeowners in the area.
“He’s made too many threats and knows too much about what he’s doing and bomb issues that if he does have some of that, he could easily take out the whole marina,” Troyer said.
The man had fastened empty shotgun shells to fuel sources at the marina, making it appear he had rigged them with explosives.
The News Tribune of Tacoma reported that Beery was charged Wednesday with threatening to bomb property and felony harassment, according to the Associated Press. He has been ordered held without bail as he undergoes psychiatric evaluations.
Prosecutors say Beery threatened to bomb the Lakebay Marina Resort Tuesday after he had been drinking. They say he was on a 30-foot boat secured to a dock and told bystanders he had strapped explosives to marina fuel tanks.
Court records show Beery believed people were out to get him when the incident occurred.
This post originally appeared here.
