A 47-year old Yelm man is in custody after he shot at Yelm Police officers with what they described as a “high powered air rifle” while they were investigating a domestic disturbance at his home, according to a report filed by a Yelm officer.
Yelm officers were dispatched to the 9500 block of Longmire Ct SE around 8:00 pm Wednesday for a report of a domestic disturbance. A female called 911 and told dispatchers that her brother shot at her and her roommate with a slingshot and that he was now armed with a BB gun.
Officers arrived on scene and began talking with the victim. While they were doing that the male suspect leaned out of a shed and pointed the “black full size rifle with an optic on top” directly at an officer and fired it. The round struck something in front of the officer.
Officers knew, from what the victim had told 911 dispatchers, that the man was likely armed with a BB gun. They took cover and established a line of communication with the male who was inside the shed.
He ultimately came outside and was taken into custody. He has been identified as Michael K. Diehl. Diehl made his preliminary appearance in Thurston County Superior Court on Thursday afternoon. The Court found probable cause to charge him with Assault 3rd Degree and two counts of Assault 4th Degree.
The Court set his bail at $5,000 and ordered that if released, he possess no dangerous weapons, to include slingshots, BB guns, or pellet guns. The court also ordered that he undergo an evaluation by a DCR (Designated Crisis Responder) prior to release, among other conditions.
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