CENTRALIA, Wash. – Police believed a gunman was holed up at a credit union after a failed robbery at a TwinStar CU branch yesterday, only to discover after a standoff that he had fled the scene.
The incident began about 6:45 a.m., when an officer responded to a report of a suspicious man at the credit union and saw a woman mouth the words "Somebody has a gun," police said. The officer pulled the woman to safety, saw a man with a gun and fired two shots, before withdrawing and calling in the SWAT team.
Around 11:15 a.m., a SWAT team stormed the credit union branch using flashbangs, but found it empty. Previously, listening through a microphone thrown in the building, police believed the man was inside, listening to the radio. Police also had been watching a video feed from the branch and thought he was hiding under a desk.
Police believe the gunman slipped out from the branch shortly after the shots were fired.
Police found a broken window, and they believe the man broke into the branch before it opened.
