A 40-year-old Mountlake Terrace man was booked into Snohomish County jail for first-degree assault Christmas Eve morning after he threatened to kill his father, causing a several-hour police standoff in the 22300 block of 51st Avenue West.

According to police, a 76-year-old man came to the Mountlake Terrace Police Department early Sunday morning to report a domestic violence situation at his home. The victim told officers he was in bed asleep and was awakened around 2 a.m. by his 40-year-old son, who was standing over him pointing a rifle at his head. The father said that the son pulled the trigger on the rifle and, after it clicked, told him that the next round “will go through your head.”

The father told officers he feared that his son had intent to hurt him, police said. He explained that his son, who lives with him, has some mental health issues and has had many contacts with the police in the past. The father also mentioned that his son was a gunsmith and may have access to additional firearms.

Mountlake Terrace P\police officers, with assistance from Edmonds and Lynnwood police, went to the home contact the son. After police made repeated attempts to get the suspect to surrender, the man barricaded himself inside the home. The home was contained and police requested assistance from North Sound Metro SWAT while a detective worked on writing and getting approval for an arrest warrant.

With the SWAT team on-scene, neighboring residences were evacuated as negotiators made further attempts to get the suspect to surrender. After several hours of negotiations, the suspect came out onto a back porch at 10:14 a.m. and was taken into custody with the assistance of a police K-9.

The suspect was treated at Swedish Hospital for minor injuries, then booked into jail.