Spokane police arrest man waving gun around, threatening to shoot people at his northeast Spokane home

A man waving a handgun at neighbors and officers was arrested Thursday night in northeast Spokane after a standoff with Spokane police.

Officers say Ty Schmeginske, 29, who lives on the 1000 block of East Dalke Avenue, was reportedly armed with a handgun and yelling he was “going to shoot somebody” from his front porch sometime around 7:30 p.m. Thursday, prompting neighbors to call 911, according to a police news release.

When officers arrived and announced their presence, they say Schmeginske grabbed the gun from the porch and took cover behind a tree in the yard. He then raised the gun and pointed it at officers, before placing it to his own head.

Schmeginske then threw the gun on the ground and started to walk away, officers said in the news release. He began walking toward police with his hands up, but then turned around and walked back toward the gun. Police said he did this a few more times.

Without the gun in his hand, police say Schmeginske finally walked out onto the sidewalk, where officers deployed “less lethal” options, such as a police dog, 40 mm impact rounds and a flash bang grenade.

Schmeginske was treated at a local hospital for minor injuries and booked into the Spokane County Jail at about 10:30 p.m. He’s facing four counts of second-degree assault for allegedly pointing the firearm at officers.

Police are unsure whom Schmeginske was originally threatening. Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Check at (509) 456-2233.