WASHINGTON — Police arrested a man early Wednesday after a more than five-hour standoff, during which he climbed on top of a Fairfax County ladder truck, exposed himself and attempted to assault responding officers.
Police arrested 43-year-old Wesam Hashish after the overnight standoff that ended around 2 a.m. Wednesday.
Fairfax County police responded to the 10000 block of Wavell Road in Fairfax, Virginia, around 8:30 p.m. Tuesday after neighbors called 911 to report Hashish was “screaming and cursing” at them, said Fairfax County police spokesman Sgt. Christopher Sharp. Hashish was cutting down a tree in his front yard with an ax and chainsaw, and attempting to set it on fire, Sharp said.
When officers arrived, the Fairfax man ran from them and climbed on top of a responding ladder truck and refused to come down, police said. Mental health professionals and officers negotiated with Hashish for more than five hours.
During negotiations, Hashish exposed himself and attempted to assault officers. At one point, he picked up a ladder from the top of the fire truck and threw it at officers, Sharp said. Neither responding officers nor citizens were injured during the incident, he added.
Around 2 a.m., fire crews used hoses to blast water at Hashish and later used pepper spray and a stun gun to subdue him. He climbed down from the ladder truck and tried to run away, Sharp said, however a K-9 chased him down and bit his shoulder. Officers caught up with Hashish and arrested him.
Hashish, whose injuries were minor, was medically cleared after a short time at a hospital and transported the Adult Detention Center.
He was charged with felony attempted assault on a law enforcement officer, indecent exposure, unlawfully climbing onto a fire truck, interfering or tampering with firefighting equipment and threats to bomb. He is being held without bond.
During the standoff, police instructed people in the area to shelter in place.
