Cowlitz County sheriff’s deputies with the help of a Vancouver police dog arrested a man Wednesday night who allegedly shot at apartments in Longview.
Deputies were advised around 7:30 p.m. that a man had fired several rounds into a building at 2128 46th Ave. and fled in a silver SUV or van, according to a Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Office news release.
A few minutes later, Kelso police officers spotted the suspect’s vehicle and tried to stop it, but the driver sped off. The officers pursued the vehicle south on Interstate 5 but lost sight of it north of Kalama, according to the sheriff’s office.
Multiple law enforcement agencies converged and assisted in “locking down the area,” the sheriff’s office said.
Then, deputies deployed a drone equipped with night vision and two K-9 teams, which located the suspect’s vehicle on Hendrickson Drive in Kalama.
“A reverse 911 notification was sent out to area residents, and trains were shut down. The Vancouver (K-9) team found the suspect hiding inside the industrial glass plant in the area. He was taken into custody with no struggle,” the sheriff’s office said.
Daron T. Knight, 42, was arrested on suspicion of drive-by shooting, eluding police, felony malicious mischief, making false statements and first-degree criminal trespass. Knight, who the sheriff’s office said is transient, was also booked into jail on a warrant for driving while his license was suspended.
An initial investigation found that Knight shot at least five bullets into the apartment building. It was reported that he was recently evicted from the apartment.
No one was injured in the shooting, deputies said.
Kelso, Kalama, Woodland and Vancouver police, as well as Washington State Patrol troopers and BNSF officers assisted during the shooting and chase.
