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Authorities surrounded a Snohomish County grocery store after a naked man took a clerk hostage and held her at gunpoint, KOMO reports.
According to a probable cause affidavit, 55-year-old Charles Franklin Randall entered the Gold Bar Family Grocer in Gold Bar after 6 p.m. Tuesday (January 10). The victim told police she was counting till when Randall, who was armed with a pistol, locked the door and didn't let her leave.
“[Victim] stated that [Randall] was saying people were chasing him, trying to kill him, and he couldn’t open the door," a report from the Snohomish County Sheriff's Office reads. "[Victim] asked [Randall] to let her leave, but he continually refused to let her leave. [Victim] gave [Randall] cigarettes, alcohol, and food to try to keep him happy with her."
Workers at the store contacted the police, and a SWAT team responded along with hostage negotiators. The negotiators were able to convince Randall to leave the store peacefully and he was arrested, per the report. No word on if there were any injuries.
Officials also applauded the clerk's response in the affidavit, saying, "The victim did an amazing job handling such a stressful situation."
Randall appeared in court Wednesday afternoon (January 11), and a judge found probable cause to keep him in custody for first-degree kidnapping, according to reporters. His bail was set at $30,000.