Man jumps in Spokane River while fleeing police, Gonzaga University security

Police and firefighters fished a man out of the Spokane River near the Gonzaga University campus Wednesday night after he jumped in the water during an attempt to flee.

Witnesses told police that Isaac P. Madaffer, 35, was inside the Martin Center causing a ruckus and later pulled out a large knife and tried to stab an employee, according to court documents.

When security officials found him entering the Martin Center fitness facility, witnesses described him as incoherent and swearing.

A student ID is required to enter the facility, but Madaffer jumped the turnstile, said Gonzaga spokesman Pete Tormey. He was being escorted from the building when he pulled out the knife and attempted to stab an employee and threatened to kill another, court documents state. The incident was captured on video surveillance footage.

“That was the first time anyone realized he was an imminent physical threat,” Tormey said.

The man ran away to the west with police in pursuit.He threw his knife in the river and jumped in to attempt an escape, according to court documents. Spokane Police and Spokane Fire Department crews pulled him from the river.

The man may have been homeless, Tormey said.

“There are a lot of transients who come through campus,” he said. “That’s always been a situation. The overwhelming majority, it’s not a problem. We want to be good neighbors and treat everyone with dignity and respect.”

Madaffer is facing charges of second-degree assault and felony harassment-threats to kill.

The incident is the second crime to take place on campus in the past week. On Feb. 10 a naked man tackled a female jogger on the Centennial Trail on the west end of campus. He was arrested and the woman, who was not a Gonzaga student, was unharmed.