Saturday, February 01, 2025
37.0°F

Shooting suspect bond set at $1M

BRIAN WALKER/bwalker@cdapress.com | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 10 years, 7 months AGO
by BRIAN WALKER/bwalker@cdapress.com
| June 27, 2014 9:00 PM

Bond has been set at $1 million for the suspect involved in Sunday's gunbattle with police on Interstate 90 in Post Falls.

A warrant was obtained and served on Marcus A. Rael, 24, Glendale, Ariz., who was charged with one count of felony eluding a peace officer, Kootenai County Sheriff's Office Lt. Stu Miller said Thursday.

"Since the investigation is still ongoing, I predict there may be more (charges filed)," Miller wrote in an email. "Just can't say when."

Rael was still receiving treatment at Kootenai Health on Thursday, Miller said. The hospital is not releasing details of his condition. Rael was in stable condition Tuesday, according to the KCSO.

"Due to the complexity of the investigation and to ensure the integrity of the case, limited information is available at this time," a KCSO press release stated Thursday. "Further details will be released when they become available."

No law enforcement personnel were injured during the incident.

A Post Falls teen captured video of a portion of the gunfire. In his one-minute video, at least 40 shots were fired. The early-morning standoff and gunbattle at the westbound Spokane Street on-ramp lasted more than half an hour.

After a pursuit that began in Coeur d'Alene, Rael stopped his truck and began to exchange gunfire with 12 law enforcement personnel, including six Coeur d'Alene Police officers, three Post Falls Police officers, two KCSO deputies and one Idaho State Police trooper, according to the KCSO. All involved personnel have been placed on paid administrative leave. Their names have not yet been released.

The warrant was served on Rael by a detective from the Rathdrum Police Department who is working with the Critical Incident Task Force.

The KCSO has not released details such as how many total shots were fired, where and how many times Rael was shot, or other information about the exchange. Miller cited the active investigation.

The investigation shut down westbound I-90 from the Highway 41 interchange to the Pleasant View exit for about 14 hours on Sunday, causing major traffic delays throughout Post Falls.

Rael's brother, Andrew J. Rael, 25, died in March following an eerily similar gunbattle with authorities on a Phoenix-area freeway. Andrew, who allegedly killed a tow-truck driver and a convenience-store employee before the exchange with police, was paroled from a Colorado prison in October after serving four years of a six-year sentence on charges that included punching a sheriff's deputy in the face.

Detectives are seeking assistance from the public in hopes of gathering information from Sunday's shooting in Post Falls..

Detectives would like to speak with anyone who witnessed the incident or may have video, be it personal or from any residential or business surveillance systems.

The KCSO asks residents to contact the office if they were around the area of the shooting and to notify detectives of any unreported damage.

Anyone with further information on the case may call 446-2237.

MORE IMPORTED STORIES

Shooting suspect transferred to jail
Coeur d'Alene Press | Updated 10 years, 7 months ago
Suspect remains in stable condition
Coeur d'Alene Press | Updated 10 years, 7 months ago
Shooting suspect named
Coeur d'Alene Press | Updated 10 years, 7 months ago

ARTICLES BY BRIAN WALKER/BWALKER@CDAPRESS.COM

Post Falls fee hikes proposed
February 3, 2015 8 p.m.

Post Falls fee hikes proposed

New dog adoption fee floated; 117-acre zone change requested
Building a better economy
April 18, 2015 9 p.m.

Building a better economy

Local jobless rate dips slightly to 4.7 percent

POST FALLS - When looking at the economic picture, Scott Krajack sees it much like peeking out the window on a typical unsettled North Idaho spring day.

Kootenai, Plummer-Worley, St. Maries school levies pass
March 11, 2015 9 p.m.

Kootenai, Plummer-Worley, St. Maries school levies pass

Voters in the Kootenai, St. Maries and Plummer-Worley school districts on Tuesday approved supplemental levies to support maintenance and operations.