The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper The Spokesman-Review
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883
Current Temperature
38°F
Current Conditions
Scattered clouds
View complete weather report
Subscribe now

Man arrested in Spokane Valley after at least third car chase

COURTESY SECRET WITNESS Zachary J. Schackel in an August 2007 booking photo. Schackel, who was 21 at the time, already had a dozen felony convictions for robbery, possession of stolen property and attempting to elude police. He also has misdemeanor assault and drug convictions. (Courtesy of Secret Witness)
By Chad Sokol chadso@spokesman.com(509) 459-5047
COURTESY SECRET WITNESS Zachary J. Schackel in an August 2007 booking photo. Schackel, who was 21 at the time, already had a dozen felony convictions for robbery, possession of stolen property and attempting to elude police. He also has misdemeanor assault and drug convictions. (Courtesy of Secret Witness)

A high-speed pursuit ended Saturday morning when a reckless driver crashed a sedan into another vehicle, a power pole and a traffic control box in Spokane Valley.

The driver, Zachary J. Schackel, 30, has a history of attempting to elude police vehicles and is labeled a “habitual offender” by law enforcement. He had a suspended license and was wanted by the state for violating parole.

The chase began when a deputy pulled out of the Spokane Valley precinct and spotted a black Chevy Malibu traveling east on Sprague Avenue at nearly 60 mph, the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release. The speed limit there is 35 mph.

The Malibu swerved through traffic, ran a red light and took a detour through the Safeway parking lot at Sprague and Evergreen Road, according to the sheriff’s office. When the Malibu exited the parking lot, the deputy paused the chase out of concern for public safety.

A few minutes later, another deputy spotted the Malibu traveling north on Sullivan Road, and it sped through another red light, according to the sheriff’s office. Again traveling east on Sprague, the Malibu crashed into a northbound pickup truck in the Conklin Road intersection and spun into the power pole and traffic control box, causing an estimated $50,000 in damage.

Schackel exited the car and ran but was stopped by a deputy after hopping a fence into a construction site. He put his hands in the air and said, “I give up,” according to the sheriff’s office.

Schackel “exhibited signs of being under the influence of a stimulant or marijuana and appeared to be paranoid,” the agency said.

He was treated for minor injuries at a local hospital and booked into the Spokane County Jail on charges of attempting to elude a police vehicle, obstructing an officer, driving under the influence, driving with a suspended license and trespassing.

Schackel did so much damage to the traffic light control box at Sprague and Conklin that the light isn’t expected to be fixed until Nov. 29, according to Spokane Valley officials. The box’s foundation and power supply have to be rebuilt. Temporary traffic controls have been installed in the intersection, including signs and temporary lighting.

Traffic on Sprague will be reduced to one lane in each direction with a center turn lane while repairs are underway. The intersection will function as a two-way stop, since traffic on Conklin will be forced to make right turns only and will not be allowed to cross the intersection.

In 2012, Schackel was arrested after leading Spokane police on a chase in a stolen car. After a spike strip popped his tires, he attempted to run but caught himself on an electric fence. That was three months after he was released from state prison, where he had spent about four years after being convicted on similar charges.

By age 21, Schackel had a dozen felony convictions for robbery, possession of stolen property and attempting to elude police. He also has misdemeanor assault and drug convictions.