Frightening Incident at Donald Store in Wapato Ends with Teen in Custody

A frightening situation happened Monday at the Donald Store outside of Wapato when a teen held people at gunpoint.

A REPORT OF SOMEONE THREATENING PEOPLE INSIDE THE STORE

Authorities were called to the scene after reports of a person making threats inside the store at about 11:00 am. When they arrived Deputies discovered a 15-year-old male holding multiple people hostage inside the store. The teen was armed with a pellet gun and had taken three employees and four customers hostage. However authorities say those being held hostage didn't know the weapon was a pellet gun.

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AUTHORITIES FROM ALL OVER THE VALLEY RESPONDED

Law enforcement agencies, including the Yakima County Sheriff's Office, Wapato Police Department, Zillah Police, and the Washington State Patrol, arrived and started to talk to the teen urging him to surrender. Media reports say authorities used a stun gun to take the teen into custody.

THE TEEN EVENTUALLY EXITED THE STORE

According to a news release from the Yakima County Sheriff's Office, after about four to five minutes of talking to the teen he exited the store unarmed. However, he immediately began fighting with officers when they took him into custody.

THE TEEN IS BEING HELD IN THE JUVENILE JAIL

The juvenile now faces multiple charges, including First Degree Robbery, Kidnapping, six counts of unlawful imprisonment, and resisting arrest. He was booked into the Yakima County Juvenile Detention Center.
There is no information yet regarding the motive behind the incident. Fortunately, no injuries were reported during the frightening situation. The investigation remains ongoing today.