Walla Walla man in custody following SWAT standoff

WALLA WALLA — A Walla Walla man is back in custody following a tense, hours-long standoff with law enforcement on Sunday, just months after being charged with a hate crime.

Lars Mason Carr Norman, 36, appeared in Walla Walla County Superior Court Monday following his arrest by the Walla Walla Regional SWAT Team. Officers with the Walla Walla Police Department initially arrived at a residence in the 600 block of North Rose Street around 8:48 a.m. Sunday to serve a warrant for violating pretrial release conditions. Norman reportedly refused to surrender, prompting a standoff that lasted several hours.

According to the WWPD, Norman briefly exited the home during negotiations but retreated inside after refusing to comply with commands. SWAT officers eventually entered the residence, using non-lethal tools and a K9 to take him into custody. Authorities noted that the police K9 was assaulted during the arrest and that the dog will be okay.

In court Monday afternoon, Norman expressed frustration with his living conditions under electronic home monitoring, citing a mental break caused by enforced confinement in a small apartment. “I just want to take a walk,” Norman told the Judge Brandon L. Johnson, while also denying that his previous 2025 charges were racially motivated.

Norman was previously arrested in November 2025 for malicious harassment, unlawful possession of a firearm, and resisting arrest. His new charges include a felony warrant, obstructing, and resisting arrest.

The judge revoked Norman’s release on the pending firearm matter to allow for credit for time served and scheduled a sentencing hearing for Thursday at 1:30 p.m.

Photo by WWPD

---

• 
• 

---

• 
• 
• 
• 

---

Elkhorn Media Group