Police lieutenant breaks leg in scuffle with suspect

A Spokane police lieutenant broke his leg in a scuffle with a suspect in North Spokane Tuesday afternoon.

Police began receiving several 911 calls just after 1 p.m. about a man near Elm and Augusta who was yelling and screaming at people, said police spokesman Officer John O’Brien. One caller reported being threatened and others said the man had urinated in a park and was throwing garbage cans.

When officers caught up with the man at the Texaco gas station on Ash Street and Nora Avenue he fought with officers and the lieutenant was injured, O’Brien said.

The lieutenant, whose name has not yet been released, has been with the department for 44 years.

“He’s been here a really long time,” O’Brien said.

The 31-year-old suspect is facing a charge of second-degree assault. His name has not been made public because of the mental health aspects of the case, said police spokesman Officer Josh Laiva.