(STORY IMAGE:KHQ.COM)
SPOKANE COUNTY, Wash. -A 34-year-old man is behind bars, linked by Spokane police to a home burglary and stolen firearms. When police showed up to look for that man, they say he fired a gun.
Spokane police say they tried to contact a person of interest near Grace Avenue on Friday for a case of burglary.
Police say 34-year-old Jeffrey Matthews was armed when they came for him, which led to a standoff. “They heard a gunshot. They didn't know if it was shooting at us or what was happening. Very dangerous situation," said Sergeant Dan Waters with the Spokane Police Department.
Matthews is a very dangerous man. He’s a 10-time convicted felon, including convictions on manslaughter, robbery, and felony assault.
The standoff lasted more than 10 hours. It took SWAT and the K9 team to flush him out of his hiding spot in the basement. They were able to arrest him. Police found several firearms in the house. “So many are missing, that's a lot of guns to be floating around in the community," said Waters.
The guns, from hand guns to high end rifles, are believed to have been stolen from a burglary that happened earlier in the week near Cora, where a home was targeted three times in the course of 24 hours.
Police that day, were desperate to find those responsible. "We really need to get this person off the street and recover those firearms so they are not continued to be used in any other crimes," said Spokane Police Department Public Information Officer John O’Brien, that day.
Their investigation has paid off. Police also say Matthews tried to hide firearms in the floorboards of the home.
He's being held on a $50,000 bond.
Spokane Police say a local area pawn shop helped their investigation when they contacted them immediately after someone tried pawning a firearm that raised suspicion.
Police say the investigation is ongoing and more felony charges may be added.