susannad
11-14-2002, 01:52 AM
A Police SWAT team has spent five hours surrounding a house in Seattle only to find they had been laying siege to a dog.
Police officers had repeatedly tried to enter into negotiations with the armed man they thought was holed up in the house.
They had also thrown tear gas canisters through the windows and engaged in sophisticated manoeuvres to try to lure the suspect outside.
Police ended their standoff just after 12:30pm when officers burst into the house to find only the startled dog, reports the Seattle Times.
Police spokesman Duane Fish said the SWAT team had believed there was a man inside the house, possibly armed.
They shot gas into the house and saw the door open slightly and the window blinds move, so they assumed a person inside had opened the door to let in fresh air.
The dog must have pushed the door open, Mr Fish said. The dog was not hurt in the incident.
Police officers had repeatedly tried to enter into negotiations with the armed man they thought was holed up in the house.
They had also thrown tear gas canisters through the windows and engaged in sophisticated manoeuvres to try to lure the suspect outside.
Police ended their standoff just after 12:30pm when officers burst into the house to find only the startled dog, reports the Seattle Times.
Police spokesman Duane Fish said the SWAT team had believed there was a man inside the house, possibly armed.
They shot gas into the house and saw the door open slightly and the window blinds move, so they assumed a person inside had opened the door to let in fresh air.
The dog must have pushed the door open, Mr Fish said. The dog was not hurt in the incident.