A 20-year-old man who sped through downtown Spokane to escape arrest also avoided being shocked with a Taser in a wild chase that nearly led to police gunfire late Tuesday, according to the Washington State Patrol.

Andre R. Hallman was "told he would be shot" if he continued to refuse orders from Trooper R. Hill after speeding through downtown at 60 to 70 mph about 8:50 p.m. and exiting his car at 1921 W. Pacific Ave., according to a probable cause affidavit.

Police say Hallman was trying to open the trunk of his car after repeated orders from Hill to show his hands. He stood up and showed his hands after Hill warned of gunfire, but he refused to lay flat on the ground and ran from Hill when a Taser misfired.

The Taser missed again as Hallman ran onto Pacific Avenue, police said. He was arrested about three blocks away.

"He was lucky he wasn't shot, frankly," Superior Court Judge Michael Price said at Hallman's first court appearance Wednesday.

Price said the eluding case was "just extraordinary" and called Hallman "a menace to the community" before imposing $25,000 bond.

Three female passengers, ages 18, 17 and 15, were not arrested. Hallman's aunt said he took the car from her without her permission.

Police found an unloaded 12-gauge sawed-off shotgun in the trunk. Hallman is a convicted felon, which means he's prohibited from possessing firearms.

He also had a warrant for first-degree robbery from last October. He was booked on that charge and new charges of attempting to elude police. Charges for the shotgun are pending.

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