Two Teens Held In Crime Spree Attempted Murder, Robbery Charges To Be Filed Today

Two 18-year-olds accused of a pair of violent holdups in downtown Spokane will face attempted murder and robbery charges in court today.

Police said the teenagers robbed neighboring convenience stores at Third and Maple early Monday - repeatedly stabbing a clerk during the first, kicking another in the head during the second.

Minutes after the second robbery, Aaron R. Simpson and David L. Johnston were arrested in the Deaconess Medical Center parking garage, following a brief foot chase.

Both men were booked into the Spokane County Jail. No bond has been set, and an initial court appearance is scheduled this afternoon.

Police said Johnston and Simpson were staying at the nearby Trade Winds Motor Hotel at Third and Lincoln.

The stabbing victim, Mark Bessermin, was listed in stable condition at Sacred Heart Medical Center late Monday.

The other clerk suffered minor injuries, a convenience store owner said.

The suspects are also being investigated for a hit-and-run accident that happened between the robberies, police spokesman Dick Cottam said, but detectives have little evidence.

Witnesses told police a driver intentionally ran down a bicyclist near the convenience stores. The bicyclist was treated and released.

The Conoco station at Third and Maple was robbed first - at 4 a.m.

“One of them jumped the counter, grabbed the cashier” and the cash, said manager Wayne Clemm, who spoke with the victim after the attack.

One robber took off with the money while the other stabbed Bessermin. Only one stab wound appeared to be serious, Clemm said.

Two hours later, two men robbed the Texaco station on the other side of the intersection.

“We got very good pictures of them on our surveillance camera and we gave them to police,” said store owner Renee Beal.

Beal said the male clerk, whom she declined to identify, was knocked down and kicked in the head. He was “shook up, of course,” the owner said.

After the first holdup, police told an employee of the Trade Winds hotel to keep watch for the two 18-year-olds staying there.

Cottam wouldn’t say why police believed the robbers were staying there, but clerk Dan Williams said police were at the hotel earlier that morning, investigating a car accident. Officers may have questioned Johnston and Simpson at that time.

Williams said he came on duty at 6 a.m., just as Simpson and Johnston were returning to their room. A night clerk called police and told Williams to watch their door on the surveillance monitor.

Within 30 seconds, eight patrol cars arrived, Williams said.

The suspects fled on foot, heading south on Lincoln Street. Police chased the men up Lincoln onto Fourth, ten over to Deaconess.

Back at the Trade Winds, a woman who said she married Simpson about a month ago defended her husband.

“He’s a sweetie,” she said, refusing to give her first name. “I wouldn’t be with him if I didn’t think there was good in him.”

She said she has known Simpson for six months. They both grew up and still live on the Colville Indian Reservation.

“He used to be a troublemaker, but since I was with him, he calmed down,” she said.

Court records show that Simpson was arrested last April for possessing a dangerous weapon. The charge was later dropped.

Simpson’s wife said she didn’t know Johnston well, but added, “He’s very polite.”

Johnston was arrested for burglary in April, a charge that was later dismissed. In 1994, he pleaded guilty to two burglaries and a car theft in King County.

Beal, the Texaco owner, said the violent robbery has her employees upset and afraid. She’s just glad the men believed to be responsible have been arrested.

“We’re hoping that the system will make these guys accountable for this crime so we can stop this kind of thing,” Beal said. “The money is incidental at this point. What we’re worried about is the safety of our employees.”

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Graphic: Crime spree