Autistic juvenile in custody after stand-off in Elma

Published 1:30 am Friday, July 31, 2026

Shortly before 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Grays Harbor County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to a residence in rural Elma. The reporting party advised dispatch that his autistic 13-year-old son was out of control and was striking doors and walls in the house with an axe. The juvenile also threatened to break into a safe at the house and retrieve a gun. The occupants in the house were able to safely get outside and wait for the authorities.

Deputies from Grays Harbor County Sheriff and officers from the Elma Police Department responded to the call. As they arrived on scene, they began negotiating a surrender with the juvenile who was inside and believed to be armed with an axe. The juvenile was now armed with a bow and arrows. As negotiations continued, the juvenile exited the house and pointed the bow and arrow at the officers and deputies, who continued to try to negotiate a peaceful surrender.

Additional officers from Aberdeen and Montesano police departments, and troopers from the Washington State Patrol arrived on scene to assist.

During negotiations, the juvenile shot multiple arrows in the direction of the officers and deputies, and at a police drone aloft. One officer discharged his service weapon, firing one shot, but he did not strike the juvenile. After several additional minutes of intense negotiations, an officer and a deputy on scene were able to safely deploy less lethal munitions and strike the juvenile causing his surrender.

The juvenile was safely taken into custody with minor injuries and later transported to the hospital. Upon the juvenile’s release from the hospital, the juvenile will be booked into the Grays Harbor County Juvenile Detention Center on multiple counts of assault in the first degree.

Because an officer fired his weapon during this incident, the Grays Harbor County Sheriff requested the assistance of the Region 3 Critical Incident Investigation Team, led by the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office, to conduct an independent investigation of the incident.

“The Sheriff’s Office would like to thank all the agencies who assisted in this very critical and dynamic situation. We are pleased that nobody was seriously injured during this incident. We also apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused residents who lived in the neighborhood who were briefly displaced from their residences while we dealt with this critical incident,” Grays Harbor County Sheriff stated in a press release.

The Elma Police Department also issued a press release after the incident and indicated that it was an Elma police officer who had discharged his weapon.

“The Elma Police Department recognizes that this incident has been traumatic for everyone involved. Our thoughts are with the juvenile, the juvenile’s family, the involved officer, all responding law enforcement personnel, and the members of the community affected by this incident. We are grateful that, despite the significant danger presented, this incident concluded without the loss of life or serious injury,” the Elma Police Department stated in its press release.

According to the release, the involved Elma police officer has been placed on paid administrative leave, which is standard procedure following an officer-involved shooting.