Police Department

Male Arrested for Unlawful Imprisonment after Hours Long Standoff

Ofc. Teresa Fuller

Saturday, March 5, 2016 at 6:52 p.m.

After a nearly seven hour long standoff, Spokane Police Officers took Michael L. Hindman (28) into custody for two counts of Unlawful Imprisonment-Domestic Violence. Police originally responded to the residence in the 100 block of north Crestline on the report of a suicidal male. Once on scene, officers determined there were other innocent people inside the house and Hindman was reportedly armed. Additional resources including the SWAT Team, Explosives Disposal Unit (EDU), and Hostage Negotiation Team were called in to ensure a safe resolution to the incident.

Last night, March 4, 2016, just after 11:30pm, Spokane Police Officers responded to a call of a suicidal male in the 100 block of north Crestline. The complainant reported that the male, identified as Michael Hindman, had a gun and was threatening to kill himself. Once officers arrived, they were able to determine additional people were also inside the house, 2 adults and a young child.

Officers were able to reach Hindman by phone, but he refused to let officers talk to or see any of the other people inside of the house. He also refused to allow them to exit the house.

Officers negotiated with Hindman for over 6 hours. He became irrational, threatening to make police kill one of the females inside and himself. He added several variables that caused concern, at one point even holding onto the young child as a shield. Officers were able to secure a search warrant for the residence. When it became apparent Hindman was unwilling to cooperate, officers utilized a previously designed tactical plan to make entry into the house. The two adults and young child were safely removed from the home and officers took Hindman into custody without further incident just after 6:15am. No one was injured during this entire encounter.

Spokane Police Officers constantly train and prepare for situations that could arise on any given shift. The SWAT and EDU teams had just trained together Friday afternoon, hours before this incident, on dynamic entry. That topic played a crucial role in bringing this incident to conclusion without injuries to the victims, suspect, or officers involved.

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