Two men arrested after gun threats at Underhill Park

Two men were arrested Wednesday after threatening people with guns at Underhill Park, then fleeing from police. Joel D. Nelson, 26, and Joshua L. Schmidt, 29, were in a silver Chevrolet Impala in the park’s parking lot, and were reported by “numerous people” to the Spokane Police Department, according to a news release. Police arrived and tried to stop the car as it left the parking lot, but it sped away, the release said. After a pursuit, the car pulled over and the two men fled on foot. Officers caught the driver, identified as Nelson, but the other man escaped. A K-9 officer and his dog tracked the second man, identified as Schmidt, to the back yard of a house a block away, the release said. Both men were taken into custody without incident and booked into Spokane County Jail. Police found a handgun inside the car but are still looking for a second gun. Nelson was arrested on eight counts of 1st degree assault, one count of attempt to elude and one count of DUI. Schmidt was arrested on the same assault counts, plus one count of unlawful possession of a firearm.