SWAT team startles neighbors in Ridgecrest

Police raid in the 15100 block of 8th Ave NE

Ridgecrest neighbors were startled with a loud explosion near Paramount School Park and Paramount Open Space in the early hours of Thursday, September 27, 2018, followed by lights and smoke. Sirens and a large police presence followed.

According to the King County Sheriff's Office, the KCSO SWAT team was serving a warrant on a suspected drug house in the 15100 block of 8th Ave NE in Shoreline.

The explosion and smoke were from a "distraction device" commonly known as a "flash bang." A flash bang is a non-lethal explosive device that causes temporary blindness, deafness, and disorientation. It briefly incapacitates the target, allowing the SWAT team to take the occupants into custody without resistance.