Richland Bat Assault Suspect Subdued With ‘Major League’ Pitch

 Benton County Deputies assisted Richland Police in subduing an assault suspect, using a newer weapon. This image, from the BCSO, is looking down the barrel of the weapon towards the suspect.

Suspect accused of using a baseball bat to attack another person

Very early Thursday morning, Benton County Deputies assisted Richland Police in capturing the suspect.

The BCSO did not specify the location but said a man had used a bat to attack another person, then barricaded himself in a bedroom in the home. There was also a firearm in the home, but it was not used in the assault. Officers secured the home and then were able to retrieve the gun.

The suspect, according to the BCSO, was a larger person, about 6 foot 200 pounds, and officers decided to deploy a less-lethal method to subdue him.

The BCSO says a Deputy deployed what's called an SL6, which is a rotating canister rifle that fires polyurethane rounds. It can also be used to fire other kinds of less-lethal munitions.

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Officers said the impact of the polyurethane round is said to be like being hit by an accurate major league baseball pitch. When struck by the round, the assault suspect immediately gave up.  These rounds are considered to be harder than rubber bullets.

The image in our story is from the BCSO, just prior to the officer deploying the SL6 weapon.