A man was wounded during a Wednesday morning standoff in Chehalis after authorities say he fired at officers near the railroad tracks.
The confrontation began around 9:45 a.m. when BNSF Railway contacted police to report that an individual had allegedly drawn a firearm and aimed it at members of its crew by the stock ponds north of Chamber of Commerce Way, according to Centralia police.
Responding officers from both the Centralia and Chehalis police departments encountered the suspect, who reportedly ran toward the tracks and pulled out a handgun before firing at three officers, one from Centralia and two from Chehalis.
Police located the man on the tracks near the former Chehalis Mattress King store. Officials said that a Centralia police negotiator made repeated efforts to calm the situation, but the suspect ignored commands and continued advancing.
When a less-lethal foam round failed to subdue him, a Centralia detective fired, hitting the suspect, police said. He was taken into custody and received immediate aid from Medix EMS and Chehalis Fire personnel before being transported to Centralia Providence Hospital.
Centralia police confirmed that, following standard procedure, the detective involved in the shooting has been placed on leave. Authorities described the information released so far as preliminary, with the Region 3 Independent Investigative Team leading the inquiry.
As a precaution during the standoff, Interstate 5 was closed in both directions, police said. The investigation remains ongoing.
