Quick-Thinking Washington Deputy Lassos Chainsaw-Wielding Suspect from a Pond: Watch

A man wielding a chainsaw during a family dispute was apprehended with a lasso by a quick-thinking deputy in Washington State. 

At around 3:30 p.m. local time on June 14, police responded to reports of a 32-year-old man with a chainsaw allegedly “chasing his father in a yard” and threatening to harm his parents in Roy, Wash., the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office stated in a news release.

“When deputies arrived, they learned that the 32-year-old son had been involved in a verbal altercation and had begun threatening both of his parents with a chainsaw,” the PCSO said. “Deputies attempted to de-escalate the male before he jumped into a nearby pond and refused to come out.”

Pierce County Deputy Carly Cappetto told King 5 Seattle that the man had suffered “a mental health crisis” and police tried to figure out how to “safely” bring him into custody.

After around 40 minutes of negotiations, one deputy retrieved a lasso and 40mm beanbag shotgun from his vehicle, according to the release.

“Just as deputies exhausted all attempts to get the suspect out of the pond, a deputy was able to successfully lasso the male and drag him safely to shore,” the PSCO said. 

In footage captured by authorities, the man is first seen standing outside a residence holding a chainsaw as an officer is heard saying to him, “Let’s talk about it, but I can’t talk to you right now when you have a chainsaw.” A deputy is next seen grabbing a lasso from his vehicle. 

An officer then warns the man, who is now standing waist-deep in the pond while holding the chainsaw, that he is going to “shoot” him if he doesn’t come out. A deputy is then seen throwing the lasso successfully over the man as other officers help to pull him out of the pond. He is subsequently handcuffed and placed into a vehicle. 

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No one was injured in the incident, per police. The man was transported to a local hospital for mental health services, and the family received resources.

“A lasso is definitely something you don’t normally see on a regular basis, but great job to these deputies that thought outside of the box on a method that wasn’t going to cause any harm or hurt anybody,” Deputy Cappetto told King 5 Seatlle, adding, “[The man] was safely able to get to the hospital and get the mental health services that he needed.”