Man arrested after SWAT standoff linked to two previous shootings in Spokane
Authorities say a man arrested after an all-night standoff Saturday was involved in two previous shootings in Spokane.
Coby C. Adams, 38, was arrested at a home in the 3900 block of North Washington Street early Saturday morning after a police dog was sent inside to find him. He had refused to come out since police arrived there Friday night.
A warrant for Adams’ arrest was issued on Oct. 6. He has been charged with attempted murder, two counts of first-degree assault and three counts of first-degree armed robbery. He also faces three counts of identity theft in an unrelated case.
Police didn’t immediately say what incidents prompted those charges, but newly filed court documents link Adams to a July 23 shooting at a Walgreens store on East Wellesley Avenue.
In that case, Cody M. Sutton and Jacob Thompson went to the Walgreens to sell heroin to a woman who called herself “Nancy” in text messages. While meeting a woman in the parking lot shortly before 2 a.m., they were ambushed by two men who beat them and shot Thompson through the shoulder with a 10 mm handgun, according to court documents.
The men stole just $10 from Sutton, according to court documents. As both parties fled the parking lot, Sutton fired two or three shots from the driver’s seat of his sedan.
Sutton was arrested that night after dropping off Thompson at Holy Family Hospital. He recently pleaded guilty to illegally possessing a handgun and was sentenced to 22 months in prison.
One of the assailants matched other descriptions of Adams, who has a lengthy and violent criminal history, according to police.
Police later searched Sutton’s phone and traced the number belonging to “Nancy.” It matched a number they had retrieved following a June 30 shooting at the Comfort Inn on East Third Avenue.
In that case, Adams is accused of shooting at a woman with a 10 mm handgun as she drove out of the hotel parking lot. One bullet flew within several feet of a hotel clerk and struck a window behind her, court documents say.
The woman apparently knew Adams and identified him in a photo lineup, according to court documents. Detectives also reviewed surveillance footage and spotted an SUV that Adams was known to be driving.
A detective wrote that Adams and another man, Benjamin L. Higgins, “were rumored to be inseparable in recent criminal activities.” Adams called himself “Guy,” while Higgins went by “Cash,” according to court documents.
It’s not clear if Higgins or others face charges in connection with the shootings.
The Spokane police SWAT team and U.S. Marshals Service participated in Adams’ arrest Saturday. During a hearing Monday in Spokane County Superior Court, Judge Gregory Sypolt set his bond at $1 million.