Driver flees after crashing into sedan in downtown Spokane

A woman was hospitalized and a driver is at large after a hit-and-run crash Tuesday afternoon in downtown Spokane.

Witnesses said a white van headed east on Riverside Avenue blew through a red light at about 3 p.m., hitting a gray sedan driving north on Lincoln Street, trapping the driver in her car until she could be extricated by the fire department.

Josh Laiva, spokesman for the Spokane Police Department, said the extent of the woman’s injures were unknown, though she appeared to be lucid and able to move upon being removed from the vehicle at about 3:30 p.m. She was taken by ambulance to an area hospital.

Laiva said the male driver hit at least two other cars along Riverside between Monroe and Lincoln before entering the intersection. After the crash, witnesses said he fled on foot. As of 4 p.m., he was still on the loose.

Sister Marybeth Pederson, who was standing outside of Cathedral of Our Lady of the Lourdes on Riverside and Madison Street, said she saw the same van moments earlier, speeding and slamming into other cars along the small stretch of road before it crossed Monroe Street.

“I heard a crash, turned around and saw the white vehicle,” she said, visibly shaken by the ordeal. “I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.”

Laiva said the van’s passenger stayed behind and was cooperating with police. He said the driver was known to officers and had outstanding felony warrants.