At approximately 10:54am, 31 year old Austin Kane Waszkiewicz, surrendered to deputies after six hours of negotiation. Waszkiewicz is reported to have struck a family member in the head with a firearm in Coburg just prior to the stand-off. Shortly after the assault authorities were able to make phone contact with Waszkiewicz and determine his location. Waszkiewicz was observed with a blue Chevrolet pickup stopped in a gravel pull-out at the intersection of Diamond Hill Rd. and Powerline Rd. in Harrisburg, armed with a firearm. Waszkiewicz refused to surrender and made statements that he intended to provoke deputies into an armed confrontation. Utilizing armored rescue vehicles acquired at no cost from the Federal 1033 program, deputies were able to safely contain the scene and keep Waszkiewicz from harming anyone else. The use of these armored rescue vehicles allowed deputies much needed time to negotiate with Waszkiewicz and de-escalate the situation. Negotiators from the Lane County Sheriff’s Office Crisis Negotiation Team (CNT) were crucial in de-escalating Waszkiewicz and convincing him to peacefully surrender. The Negotiations Operations Center (aka ‘NOC’) is a specialized vehicle outfitted with state of the art communications and surveillance equipment. This vehicle was recently acquired by the sheriff’s office utilizing funds from the Department of Homeland Security grant along with a Department of Justice grant. After a long, intense stand-off, Waszkiewicz eventually agreed to surrender and physical force was not used to enact his arrest. A firearm and multiple knives were recovered from within his vehicle. Waszkiewicz was transported to the Lane County Jail and lodged on charges including Assault II – APA, Menacing – APA, Interfering with Police and Felon in Possession of a Firearm. Officers from the Coburg Police Department, deputies from the Linn County Sheriff’s Office and deputies from the Lane County Sheriff’s Office worked cooperatively to resolve this incident. For more information regarding the Federal 1033 program and the specialized vehicles it provides to the Lane County Sheriff’s Office, visit https://vimeo.com/485636801 or https://www.lanecounty.org/government/county_departments/sheriff_s_office/videos ‘Lane County Sheriff’s Office: Butler Road’ Harrisburg, OR Lane County Sheriff’s Deputies with the assistance of the Linn County Sheriff’s Office and Coburg Police Department are negotiating with the suspect in a domestic violence assault. The community is asked to avoid the area of Diamond Hill Rd. and Powerline Rd. in Harrisburg. Updates will be provided as they become available.
