Baby On Board As Police Chase Robbery Suspect Girl’s Presence Unknown During 10-Mile Pursuit Of Father

Police who chased an armed robbery suspect across north Spokane at high speeds Monday evening made a surprising discovery when they finally stopped his car.

The man had his 13-month-old daughter strapped in a child seat beside him.

The girl, who wasn’t hurt, later was turned over to her mother. Police arrested the child’s father, Timothy M. Town, 22, of Spokane.

He was charged Tuesday with first-degree armed robbery and attempting to elude a police vehicle.

The incident began about 9 p.m. near Heroy and Cincinnati.

Police were called to the area to investigate a reported armed robbery.

A 16-year-old boy told officers Town and another man robbed him of some car stereo equipment, according to an affidavit of probable cause filed in Spokane County District Court.

The boy said Town pointed a semiautomatic handgun at his head, threatened to shoot him and then kicked him in the face, according to the affidavit.

The two men then grabbed stereo components out of the boy’s car and fled, police said.

Town reportedly drove by the scene as the boy was telling police what happened, and they gave chase, the affidavit states.

Police officers did not know the girl was in the car, said police spokesman Dick Cottam.

Two squad cars attempted to stop Town’s 1984 burgundy Cadillac, but he sped north on Division with his headlights turned off, Cottam said.

Town drove to Francis, where he turned east, police said.

He accelerated to speeds of 75 mph when he reached Bigelow Gulch Road in the unincorporated area of the county, Cottam said.

Town then turned onto some back roads and re-entered the city limits.

He ran six red lights during the 10-mile chase and nearly hit a car on Francis near Perry, Cottam said.

Police finally stopped him near Wellesley and Florida, and he gave up without incident.

Police Lt. Al Odenthal, who monitored the chase on his police radio, said officers acted appropriately in pursuing Town, a suspected felon armed with a gun.

Speeds were not excessive and most of the chase took place in a sparsely populated area, said Odenthal.

“It’s a continuing balance between the necessity of apprehension and the risk to the public,” said Odenthal, who supervises the patrol unit.

Police are still looking for the other robbery suspect.

He is described as a black man about 20 years old, 6 feet tall and 150 pounds. He has short, braided hair.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Check at 456-2233.

, DataTimes