Woman Tackled By Two Men In Robbery

A woman returning to her car after shopping at a Spokane Valley mall was tackled by two men Monday night during a robbery attempt.

The robbery happened about 7 p.m. in the upper level of the parking garage west of J.C. Penney at University City Shopping Center.

The woman was not seriously injured, said sheriff’s Lt. David Wiyrick.

She told deputies she was walking to her car and noticed a white man wearing a bandana, dark-colored wool shirt and blue jeans. He was walking toward the store.

While she watched the man, another man jumped from between the woman’s car and one parked next to it. He tried unsuccessfully to steal her bags, Wiyrick said.

The woman, who hit her head on the pavement when she fell, screamed and both men fled down the parking garage ramp. She suffered a bump to her head and bruises, but refused treatment by medics.

Anyone with information about the robbery attempt is asked to call Crime Check at 456-2233.

Two arrested for burglary

Two men were jailed Wednesday for allegedly forcing their way into a Spokane Valley home and beating a man inside.

Shawn A. Lyng and John R. Wheatcroft, both 23, were booked into the Spokane County Jail for first-degree burglary, Wiyrick said.

The victim told deputies Lyng and Wheatcroft knocked on his door and rushed inside when he opened it.

A struggle ensued and the victim was beaten, Wiyrick said. The victim was bleeding from his ear, nose and mouth when deputies arrived at his home in the 11900 block of East Mansfield.

Lyng, who was bleeding from the mouth and knuckles, was arrested near the victim’s home after running from deputies, Wiyrick said.

Deputies said Lyng tried to run a second time while they were loading him into a patrol car, but was caught and wrestled to the ground.

Wheatcroft was arrested at a nearby restaurant, where deputies found him hiding in the bathroom, Wiyrick said.

, DataTimes