Spokane police arrest man domestic violence suspect after standoff

A domestic violence call turned into a police standoff in a shopping center parking lot Friday night when an armed man continually took drags off a methamphetamine pipe and aimed a gun at his head, Spokane police said in a news release.

Around 9 p.m., Spokane police officers responded to a call reporting domestic violence in the 3700 block of West Bismark Avenue, police said.

When police arrived the suspect was gone. A woman and her mother talked to police and officers determined probable cause to arrest Andrew Perry, 37, on suspicion of two counts of domestic violence harassment with threats to kill, the release said.

The women told police Perry had been involved in a domestic violence incident one year ago during which he was armed and threatened to commit “suicide by cop” if contacted by police, according to the release.

Then officers learned the suspect was posting live on social media. One officer looked at the post and realized the suspect was in the Five Mile shopping center parking lot. Spokane police patrol units found suspect sitting in his vehicle in the parking lot of the shopping center. As officers pulled in to contact Perry, he initially “feigned confusion” about why police were contacting him, the release said.

Within seconds, he put a glass pipe to his mouth and took a long drag off what was later discovered to be meth. He then raised a pistol with his other hand and pressed it to his own head, according to the release

Officers blocked in Perry’s car with patrol cars and started negotiating with him. Perry refused to comply with multiple requests to surrender and police called in other SPD resources, including SWAT, hostage negotiators and a K9 team.

Because he was smoking meth and armed, officers thought it “imperative” that he not drive back out into the community, so police blocked his car in with armored cars.

Around 11:15 p.m., Perry surrendered. He will face at least two counts of domestic violence harassment, threats to kill, the release said.

Before being booked into jail, Perry was transported to the hospital. En route to the hospital he “became violent,” trying to get out of his medical restraints, police said.. He threatened to kill the officer with him and attending medical personnel.

Police will seek a search warrant for Perry’s vehicle and more charges could arise from the execution of that search warrant, the release said.

Perry has “an extensive criminal history” of arrests, the release said, and he has felony convictions of assault, felony phone harassment, arson and a misdemeanor conviction for an order violation.