A Pasco man was arrested after a tense SWAT standoff following an hours-long rampage that caused an estimated $30,000 in damage to a Catholic Charities housing complex designed to support the chronically homeless.
Authorities say Alexander Vahdati Bana, 38, used a barbell to smash windows and punch holes in the floors and walls of his apartment at Bishop Skylstad Commons, a 60-unit housing complex on 20th Avenue and Lewis Street in Pasco. The destruction escalated when he broke through the wall into a neighboring vacant apartment.
The complex’s manager alerted police around noon on Monday after discovering the damage and noticing that Vahdati Bana had barricaded the neighboring unit’s door with a refrigerator.
When Pasco police arrived and knocked on his door, he refused to leave. Officers attempted to negotiate through a window, but court documents state that Vahdati Bana threatened to kill police, claiming he had knives, propane tanks “ready to blow up,” and boiling water prepared for a confrontation.
With the situation escalating, the Tri-City Regional SWAT team was called in. Despite continued negotiations, officers were forced to use less-than-lethal force to subdue him.
Upon entering, authorities discovered that Vahdati Bana had stabbed himself in the legs. Officers quickly applied tourniquets, and with assistance from the Pasco Fire Department, he was rushed to a local hospital for treatment before being transported to Franklin County Jail.
