Bear spray deters home intruder in Spirit Lake, police say

Spirit Lake residents deterred a home intruder by spraying him with bear mace Sunday night, prompting a brief chase during which the suspect hid behind cars, ran through yards and tried to enter additional homes, police said.

According to a news release from the Spirit Lake Police Department, homeowners near Eighth Avenue and Delaware Street reported a break-in at about 10:30 p.m. They said the suspect was wearing a red T-shirt and light-colored sweatpants and was immediately pepper-sprayed when he entered the home.

The suspect “quickly exited the home through a window and ran into the adjacent wooded area to the east,” police said.

Kootenai County sheriff’s deputies responded to help establish a perimeter, while neighbors called to report a man running through yards, hiding behind cars and trying to enter homes in the area. Coeur d’Alene police brought in a dog to track the suspect, who was eventually found in a vacant lot, hiding near some broken concrete.

The suspect was later identified as Sunkmanitu Littlebrave, 21, of Sagle. He faces charges of unlawful entry, resisting arrest, public intoxication and attempted unlawful entry while fleeing from law enforcement – a felony.

Police said they consider the break-in “a random, isolated incident and not cause for ongoing concern among residents.”