Brandon William Dennis, 44, pleaded not guilty on March 14 to charges of Unlawful Possession of a Firearm in the First Degree and Attempted Residential Burglary. His requested bail is set for $250,000 by the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.

On Feb. 24, 2022, a woman called the Bellevue Police Department to report that her Ring camera system alerted her of someone at her front door, according to charging documents. The victim was out of town and relayed to BPD that no one should be at her residence.

The charging documents state that the suspect had what appeared to be a firearm in his hands, with a rifle slung across his back. They also state that the suspect went to the victim’s door twice and was seen looking in the windows of her residence; he was also seen grabbing the door handle and attempting to twist the door handle and shaking the door as if he were trying to open it.

When Bellevue Police arrived on scene, the suspect, later identified as Brandon William Dennis, was located in the victim’s backyard still armed with a rifle and a handgun. According to charging documents, Dennis would not comply with police orders to drop weapons or to leave the backyard.

BPD’s SWAT team and Hostage Negotiation Team were called in. According to the documents, Dennis was confrontational and yelling at officers—at one point, he pointed his rifle in the direction of police. After over three hours of de-escalation attempts and a continued stand-off, Dennis was taken into custody.

The charging documents show that during a search incident to arrest, Dennis was found with two rifle magazines on his person; a real rifle with a live round in the chamber and a 10-round magazine attached; and the handgun which was a realistic looking airsoft gun.

In 1997, Dennis was convicted of Incident Liberties, a most serious offense, and is unable to legally possess a firearm. His criminal history includes Attempt to Elude (2004), Indecent Liberties (1997), Burglary in the Second Degree (1996, 1994, 1994), and Theft in the Second Degree (1994, 1994).

According to the charging documents, Dennis has misdemeanor convictions which includes the Violation of No Contact Order (2021, 2021, 2018, 2018), Malicious Mischief in the Third Degree (2021, 1994), Criminal Trespass in the First Degree (2018), and Reckless Driving (2007).

Editor’s Note: This story has been updated