Wash. officer, hostage shot amid 20-hour standoff
By The Associated Press
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VANCOUVER, Wash. — Police arrested a weapons suspect early Thursday after using tear gas to end a 20-hour standoff in which a police officer and a hostage were shot.
Matthew Hastings, 28, was taken away in a patrol car, apparently unhurt, according to television reports.
Four SWAT teams had rotated during the long standoff. Finally, around 3:30 a.m., officers filled the home with tear gas, went inside and arrested Hastings, police spokeswoman Kim Kapp said. She said she didn't know if any gunshots were fired during the arrest.
The standoff started at 7:20 a.m. Wednesday, when police arrived to arrest Hastings on allegations he had jumped bail and failed to check in with his community corrections officer. Hastings had been charged in January with marijuana possession, theft of a firearm, sale or manufacture of a dangerous weapon and unlawful possession of a firearm.
Police said Hastings shot and wounded police Cpl. Chris LeBlanc and kept his landlord's son hostage for the first 12 hours of the standoff.
The hostage, Shane Runyon, 33, was shot once in the abdomen, police officer Steve Capellas said. It wasn't clear who fired the shot or when Runyon was hurt. He said Runyon was alert and talking on his way to the hospital.
LeBlanc, who joined the city police force in 1997, was shot under the arm. He was in serious condition at Southwest Washington Medical Center, with surgery to remove the bullet scheduled for Thursday.
 Copyright 2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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