SPOKANE, Wash. — The suspect in a SWAT standoff at the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) building has been arrested.
Julie Humphreys from Spokane Police told KREM 2 they received a call at 7 a.m. from a security guard at the DSHS building. When police arrived, they say the man brandished a knife and did not comply with orders.
The man spent the majority of the day Monday barricaded outside the south side of the building. Police moved DSHS employees from the south side to the north side of the building as a precaution.
Spokane Police had a SWAT team, K9s and drones on the scene. A mental health professional and hostage negotiator were on the scene as well.
The suspect, identified as 41-year-old Charleston D. Harper, was arrested around 2:30 p.m.. He has been booked into the Spokane County Jail and is charged with second-degree assault, resisting arrest and obstructing an officer. Harper, a convicted felon, also has an outstanding warrant for failing to register as a sex offender.
This isn't the first time Harper was involved in a standoff with Spokane police. In 2016, police confronted Harper outside a downtown Spokane bar where he was reportedly threatening people with a machete. Court documents say officers tried to get him to surrender, but he refused.
Eventually, Harper reportedly started yelling at police to shoot him.
Once he opened the front door to the bar and started to go inside, police fired both non-lethal and lethal shots. Officers said they did this because they feared for the safety of the people inside.
Harper was shot in the back but ultimately survived.
In total, Harper has 14 criminal convictions dating back to 2003, all of which are in Spokane County. These convictions include harassment and robbery. In 2015, he was accused of assaulting firefighters who were trying to help him on the Maple Street Bridge, but he was found not guilty.
According to the Department of Corrections, Harper has served nearly four years in prison in the state of Washington.
WATCH RELATED: Spokane Police gives update on SWAT standoff outside Spokane DSHS building
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