Two dead after Spokane Valley crime spree
STAFF REPORT | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 year, 5 months AGO
Image courtesy of the Spokane County Sheriff's Office.
Police in Spokane Valley fatally shot a man who authorities said had killed a good Samaritan in Kootenai County during a crime spree early Sunday.
The spree began around 8:30 a.m. Sunday, when a suspect, who has not been publicly identified, stole a vehicle from a father and daughter in Spokane Valley and then fled east toward Idaho.
Deputies pursued the suspect, who reached speeds of up to 140 mph, according to police, and lost sight of him before he crossed into Kootenai County.
Police said the suspect intentionally hit a motorcyclist with the stolen vehicle. The motorcyclist sustained “moderate injuries” and was transported to a hospital for treatment, according to the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office.
The suspect attempted to steal multiple other vehicles near the Liberty Stop-N-Go in Stateline, according to police, and fatally shot a man who attempted to help one of the car owners.
“I believe that he saw a woman that was in distress and went to aid,” Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris said during a news conference Sunday. “Unfortunately, he did pay the highest price for it.”
The good Samaritan had not been publicly identified by Monday afternoon.
In another stolen vehicle, police said the suspect fled back across the state line into Washington, where he stole another vehicle.
Police deployed a spike trip at Sullivan Road, but the suspect continued west at high speeds before crashing into a bystander’s vehicle and a Washington State Police trooper’s car, which was there for an unrelated crash.
The suspect was armed when he got out of the stolen vehicle at the intersection of Trent Avenue and Pines Road, according to police.
Police shot and killed the suspect.
The Spokane County Medical Examiner’s Office will release the suspect’s name, as well as details of his death.
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