Police: Man goes berserk, starts fire at neighbors' home
BUCKLEY, Wash. - A man went berserk, smashing the windows in a neighbor's house then starting a fire there Saturday before fleeing the scene, officials said.
About three hours later he turned himself in to police, who transferred him to Good Samaritan Hospital, where he is now listed in satisfactory condition.
The incident began at about 5 p.m. Saturday when the suspect, identified as Lonnie Leroy Tate of Buckley, went to his neighbors' home and claimed they owed him money.
He then became violent, smashing out windows and starting a fire, said Detective Lynelle Anderson of the Pierce County Sheriff's Office.
Deputies responded to the scene after receiving a 911 call about an agitated person who was possibly intoxicated and mentally ill.
When they arrived, officers stunned the suspect twice with a Taser, but it had no effect on him. He then fled the scene on foot.
Deputies searched the area but could not find Tate. They did, however, find the bat he had reportedly used to smash the windows in the neighbors' home, Anderson said.
Tate turned himself in at about 8 p.m. and he was transferred to the hospital at about 9 p.m. He remains hospitalized in satisfactory condition.
Anderson said Tate has prior arrests for drugs and vandalism, but he has never done anything this serious. He faces possible felony charges.
The neighbors told deputies they don't owe Tate any money.
About three hours later he turned himself in to police, who transferred him to Good Samaritan Hospital, where he is now listed in satisfactory condition.
The incident began at about 5 p.m. Saturday when the suspect, identified as Lonnie Leroy Tate of Buckley, went to his neighbors' home and claimed they owed him money.
He then became violent, smashing out windows and starting a fire, said Detective Lynelle Anderson of the Pierce County Sheriff's Office.
Deputies responded to the scene after receiving a 911 call about an agitated person who was possibly intoxicated and mentally ill.
When they arrived, officers stunned the suspect twice with a Taser, but it had no effect on him. He then fled the scene on foot.
Deputies searched the area but could not find Tate. They did, however, find the bat he had reportedly used to smash the windows in the neighbors' home, Anderson said.
Tate turned himself in at about 8 p.m. and he was transferred to the hospital at about 9 p.m. He remains hospitalized in satisfactory condition.
Anderson said Tate has prior arrests for drugs and vandalism, but he has never done anything this serious. He faces possible felony charges.
The neighbors told deputies they don't owe Tate any money.
yes that is an old photo but you dont know him and he wasnt on meth or anything elsehe just wants to be left alone and given what is his yes the people owed him money then when the job was done they didnt want to pay . he is not bersirck or on drugs some time you just have to take matters into your own hands . if you people would open your eyes and quitehaving blinders on you would see the whole picture dont convict any one till you know the whole story we love you bro .
Komo News please please please stop using this old mug shot!! I hate what people are saying about him! This mug shot is many years old and he is clean today. He looks NOTHING like this! Maybe you should ask some of his family for the other side of this story! Like how these people owed him a lot of money for work he completed for them and how he was about to be evicted because he couldn't pay his rent because these people wouldn't pay him!! The media is making him out to be a monster when really, he's just a hillybilly man who comes from a different time when you took matters into your own hands. He didn't hurt anyone and if you knew him you would know he never would. He smashed their windows which was wrong, but it wasn't like how the media and this family are making it sound. He didn't set there house on fire either. And to all of you who will no doubt write something nasty in reply to this: Please remember, Lonnie is a dad and a grandfather and he is loved by his family very much. He made a bad decision but he is not the villain/monster everyone is making him out to be. You only know what you read in these tiny media reports so please refrain from judging someone when you dont know the whole story.
 @Anonymous Maybe everybody should get their mugshots updated yearly to avoid this.
 @Anonymous You might want to tell the prosecutor not to charge him with arson, then. https://linxonline.co.pierce.wa.us/linxweb/Booking/GetBooking.cfm?booking_id=2012240018
Sheesh doesn't this guy look like a real piece of work...
That picture of him should be on an ad with the slogan "Got Meth?''
Twice with a taser! Yow and still ran away.
We need laws against starting fires and Meth should be illegal.
Oh there are? It is? That should have stopped him then.
Those poor neighbors, that must have been terrifying.Â
That's a meth face if I ever saw one - and I see a lot of them. Â He probably doesn't have many teeth either. Â Sad how people ruin their lives with that junk. Â Long term drug use can definitely contribute to mental illness and early onset dementia too.
Buckleshoot.
One word: Â METH
 @Mountainguy My thoughts exactly.
Wow... you don't see the word 'berserk' used in a headline much, do you?
Â
Beyond that, just looking at the guy's picture, I'm guessing that meth a hell of a lot to do with his 'berserk'....
I couldn't imagine this man going "berserk" he looks so harmless and well mannered.
They are walking among us every day, just waiting to go berserk. Frightening isn't it.
Â
Â
Berserk: Mentally or emotionally upset; deranged.
Beserk: No such word.
There is no word, because it is an undiscribalble behavior.
@jelisized From the Old Icelandic 'bjornskyrta' or 'bear [pelt] shirt', an type of warrior that entered battle without armor in the hope of dying and being selected by the Valkyriar for a place in Valhalla.
Â
[sorry, Scandinavian moment there...]
 @svensson http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sY_Yf4zz-yo
@jelisized What? You gotta da problem wid da wayz my Nanna makesa da meatballs?!:)
Yeah, a drunk mentally ill individual going beserk. Gee, wonder what could happen. With that description of what he did, do we really need the mention of him going beserk? Even the picture told me so!
Hmm... I'm going to go out on a limb here and bet he's on meth...???
Drugs are bad, uh huh...
Tweaker! Why are there so many in the Northwest?
and this kids, is your brain on drugs ..
Only ONE cure for zombies like this one.
Surely one of the faces of METH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It's interesting how this story is a bit different on The News Tribune
http://www.thenewstribune.com/2012/08/26/2268843/police-searching-for-buckley-man.html
Â
Either way, we don't have the facts to know what caused him to go beserk. Most would suspect drugs, merely judging by the pictures and the stories of how the tasers had no effect on him. Lets hope this guy gets the help he needs (of course on our dime) and that he doesn't continue along this path. But, the odds are against him.
 @OPTEMPO Something is going to be on our dime - prison, mental health counseling, you name it.  If all we do is throw him in prison, it's pretty likely it will happen again when he gets out, and we'll be on the hook again.  The counseling sounds like a better investment to me.
Looks like a meth head... That would explain why he went berserks.
I wonder if the Buckley police had batteries in their Taser guns?
"This week, on 'Tweakers'..."
This guys mug shot sure looks like one from "The Faces of Meth" to me. The fact that a taser did not have any effect on him does indicate he was on drugs at the time and likely meth.
This is one of those after pictures of meth addicts right?
KOMO please fix your headline and stop killing the English language.Â
 @caphillkid KOMO would also have to fix 99.999 percent of its articles to avoid killing the English language.Â
I don't see how the cops lost this guy after hitting him with a taser. Â Some awesome cops in Buckley!Â
 @Thats Dope No doubt! If I were a citizen of Buckley I would demand some sort of physical fitness requirement for these guys and gals. I mean and on going requirement not a one and done when joining the force.
Let me clear something up. While I can't make excuses for this man I will say he and these people have been friends for a while. He recently did some work for them and they DO owe him a substantial amount of money. These people are awful people and I know somebody else who they have also taken advantage of promising them something only to screw them once the work was done. while what this man did was wrong, I can't feel bad for them knowing what they have done to him and others. Also worth noting, this mug shot is over 15 years old and this man looks nothing like that anymore and hasn't done drugs in years. He's not crazy and he's not mentally ill. There are 2 sides to this story and I just want everyone to know that these people aren't complete innocent victims in this. They have done some terrible things to people.
 @Anonymous None of what you said justifies arson and property damage. That's one of the reasons we have small claims. Is that you posting, Lonnie?
@Just_Mike I realize that which is why I can't make excuses for him and that what he did was wrong. My point was that I know these people and he isn't the first person they've screwed over. I have never personally been screwd over by them but because I know them I know they have taken advantage of a lot of people. When you take advantage of people eventually something bad will come back to you. It annoys me that they are being portrayed as innocent victims. This time they just messed with someone who wasn't willing to cut there losses and walk away.
 @Anonymous  @Just_Mike Anyone who can be tazed  twice and get away from two cops, is on something.  Period.  Doesn't mean the "victims" aren't aholes, just means he didn't respond correctly and there probably a chemical reason why.  Looks like he'll get his chance to be clean again.Â
I mean which is why I said I can't make excuses for him and what he did was wrong.
meth... it's not just for breakfast anymore...
 @WildCelticRose Meth-Os...the breakfast of CHAMPIONS!!! @#$*&^#%(@#&$(@#($