SPOKANE, Wash. — Spokane police responded to a domestic violence call at a home in Northwest Spokane on Thursday night and found the suspect hiding in a wall.
A search warrant was granted for the home off North Wall Street and officers entered the residence at around 1:30 a.m. The victim and a juvenile were rescued safely, police said.
Officers say they searched the residence but it was a K-9 unit who found 41-year-old Joseph Piapot hiding between two walls within the home. In a press release, Spokane police said "the K-9 alerted on an area of wall which appeared solid and adorned with furniture."
Spokane police said there was a small void between the interior and exterior walls. That's where they found Piapot hiding. According to police, he surrendered and no force was used when arresting him.
Piapot was booked into Spokane County Jail for two counts of residential burglary domestic violence and two counts of court order violation.
Police said a court order prohibited him from contacting the victim or being at the residence. Piapot is an eleven-time felon with four convictions for felony assault.
According to a press release, Spokane police said hostage negotiators, SWAT officers and K-9 units were called to the scene.
Spokane police said SWAT teams set up armored vehicles around the residence to act as a barrier between the incident and bystanders within the neighborhood.