Kittitas Man Arrested After Alleged Knife Attack & SWAT Standoff

A Kittitas County man is behind bars after police say he attacked someone with a knife during a domestic dispute before staging a brief standoff with law enforcement on Tuesday night.

The Kittitas County Sheriff's Office says deputies responded to reports of an assault with a knife at a residence in the Alpine Estates Neighborhood in the town of Kittitas at around 8 p.m.

Upon arriving at the scene, deputies discovered an injured man who was treated by responding medics, and learned his alleged assailant was still inside the home.

After attempts to communicate with the suspect, 52-year-old Erik Van Cleave, were unsuccessful, the Kittitas County Regional Tactical Response Team was called to the scene, and following several hours of negotiations, they finally took him into custody without further incident at around midnight.

Van Cleave was booked into the Kittitas County Jail for first- and fourth-degree assault with domestic violence enhancements, resisting arrest, and interfering with the reporting of domestic violence.