Police: Shooter in Wash. woods fires at officers

ARLINGTON, Wash. – A shooter in woods north of the Seattle area fired at SWAT team and other police officers Sunday after law enforcement responded to reports that a man had been shot in the leg in his driveway, authorities said.

The man was shot about 1:30 p.m. and called authorities before he was taken to a hospital with a non-life threatening injury, said Lt. Steve Dittoe, of the Snohomish County Sheriff's Office. The resident told deputies he had been hearing shots for about 15 minutes.

Police continued to search for the shooter or shooters near Arlington in Snohomish County. There were no reports of other injuries.

Officers understood someone was in the woods, shooting at vehicles or people, so they initiated a SWAT team call, according to Dittoe.

Resident Linda Purtteman, who was walking her dog in the area Sunday afternoon, told The Seattle Times (http://bit.ly/RBQNGm ) that she heard gunshots, but initially was unfazed by them.

"I have a few neighbors who go shooting a lot out here, so I didn't think anything of it," she said.

But then, a neighbor told her shots had been fired at a SWAT team and people in the area were urged to stay indoors, she said.

Authorities could be conducting limited evacuations when necessary, Dittoe said. He didn't know if any had been done as of late Sunday afternoon.