A man was taken into custody after barricading himself with a gun and starting a fire inside a Renton house early Monday morning, according to police.
Officers were called to the 11400 block of Southeast 177th Place around 3:15 a.m. after family members inside the house reported a “distraught” relative had fled to an upstairs bedroom with a gun, Renton police said in a statement.
When family members heard gunshots, they called 911. The man was allegedly firing the gun out of a bedroom window when officers arrived, and then started to “actively shoot” directly at them, police said.
Officers evacuated the other family members, as well as residents of several homes in the area. No injuries were reported.
Shortly after, officers heard an alarm going off inside the house and noticed smoke drifting from the top floor, police said. The man inside had allegedly started a fire on the second floor, which spread quickly and engulfed the entire home in flames, police said.
No officers were actively trying to get inside the house when the fire began, Renton police spokesperson Cyndie Morris said.
The Renton Regional Fire Authority responded to battle the blaze. According to Morris, firefighters set up at a distance to avoid the gunshots the man was allegedly firing from the house.
By 5:30 a.m., the man had left the house and was taken into custody without further incident. He’s being investigated for possible charges of arson and several counts of first-degree assault for allegedly shooting at responding officers, Morris later tweeted.
The home had “major damage,” Morris said. Firefighters were still putting out hot spots as of 7:30 a.m.
No further details were immediately available.