Man with ‘abnormal strength’ fights with deputies in Deer Park; ambulance medic intervenes

The Spokane County Sheriff’s Office says a man assaulted two deputies Saturday evening when they tried to take him into custody for a mental health hold, and a paramedic helped subdue the man before a third deputy arrived.

Deputies Alan Rollins and George Yingst arrived at a residence in Deer Park along the Newport Highway at about 5:30 p.m., the Sheriff’s Office said in a news release. The man, whose name was not released, was smoking a cigarette on the back deck.

According to the news release, the deputies asked the man to go with them and handed him a copy of the court order for his mental health hold, but he refused to cooperate. They walked with him into the home, where a Deer Park ambulance crew had just arrived, and followed him through a narrow hallway into a cramped bedroom, the release said.

Rollins took hold of the man’s right arm but he jerked it loose and yelled, “Don’t touch me!” the release said. Both deputies grabbed him a second time but he continued to struggle, causing all three men to fall onto the mattress and then onto the floor, the release said.

With the man on top of one deputy and the other trying to pull him off, emergency medical technician Tyler Pfeffer entered the room to help control the situation before Deputy Chad Ruff arrived.

The release said Pfeffer “jumped in without hesitation to assist the deputies as they attempted to gain control of the male suffering from mental issues, as he violently fought them and appeared to have abnormal strength.”

The deputies received abrasions and bruises but no serious injuries. The man continued trying to kick them even after they shocked him with a Taser a third time, the release said. He was taken from the home bound to a gurney.

Per the court order, the man was taken to a local hospital for a mental evaluation, but he could face three counts of third-degree assault on law enforcement officers, the release said.