Medford Police Officers were dispatched to a report of possible stolen vehicle early Thursday morning, October 27th, just before 7:30am.
The suspect, reported to be armed with a handgun, was spotted by patrol officers who then initiated a traffic stop in the parking lot of Walgreen’s. The suspect provided false information to the officers and as the second officer arrived on scene, the suspect rammed a patrol car and fled in the vehicle.
The suspect later crashed the vehicle and fled on foot into the industrial complex where he was observed by multiple witnesses in the complex entering a warehouse building through the front door.
Medford Police units quickly established a perimeter around the building the suspect entered to contain the scene and verified that there were no employees in the building.
The suspect, who’s identification has not been released, has multiple outstanding felony warrants including a parole violation out of Ohio and a weapons offense in California. Due to this information and the report that he was armed, Medford Police Department SWAT was deployed. In addition, the Drone Team, K-9’s, and the Crisis Negotiating Team responded to the scene.
Upon arrival, the SWAT Team entered into the warehouse lobby and immediately came into contact with the suspect, at which time he fired one round and retreated deeper into the warehouse.
No injuries were sustained during this time and the SWAT Team exited the warehouse. While SWAT was assessing the perimeter, the suspect opened a side door and fired more shots before retreating back into the warehouse. Crisis Negotiators made contact with the armed suspect in an attempt to safely resolve this incident.
At 4:40pm, Thursday afternoon, it was reported by the Medford Police Department that the suspect had surrendered and had been taken into custody without incident.
