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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Man shot by police at burning Spokane Valley Motel 6 charged with arson

FILE - Investigators gather at the front entrance after fire burned through the roof of the Motel 6 in Spokane Valley early June 7, 2017. A man was reportedly shot by Spokane County sheriffs deputies after he barricaded himself into a room and refused to evacuate. (Dan Pelle / The Spokesman-Review)

A knife-wielding man who was shot by police after he refused to leave a burning Motel 6 in Spokane Valley in June made his first appearance in court Thursday.

Michael J. Kruse, 41, is charged with first-degree arson in connection with the fire. Investigators believe he set fire to the bed in his room, according to court documents. He has been hospitalized since the shooting.

The Spokane Valley Fire Department and Spokane Valley deputies were called to the motel, at 1919 N. Hutchinson Road, just before 3:30 a.m. June 7.

The motel employee who called 911 reported he saw Kruse standing in the doorway with the bed on fire behind him, but he slammed the door when the employee advanced with an extinguisher, court documents say.

Deputies confronted Kruse on the stairs to the second floor, where his room was located. Deputies reported Kruse asked deputies to shoot him and waved a knife as he advanced toward them.

Motel surveillance video shows deputies backing up while firing at Kruse, according to court documents. One deputy fired a less-lethal round while three deputies fired their handguns.

Investigators recovered the knife as well as 18 .45-caliber casings, eight discharged bullets and a spent beanbag round, according to court documents. A fire investigator traced the origin of the fire in Kruse’s room to the northwest corner of the bed. Two lighters were found in the room and one was found in Kruse’s pocket, court documents state.

Kruse admitted to a deputy guarding his hospital room that he lit the mattress on fire, court documents say.

Spokane County Superior Court Judge Michael price set Kruse’s bond at $50,000.