Espresso Stand Holdup Turns Into Wild Chase Man Rams Stolen Truck Into Two Sheriff’s Cars, A Home

A man slammed a stolen truck into two sheriff’s cars and a home Tuesday after attempting to rob a Spokane Valley espresso stand, deputies said.

The unidentified man was hospitalized for minor injuries and is expected to be jailed on charges of first-degree assault, hit-and-run, and first-degree robbery, deputies said.

There were no other injuries.

The man may also be charged with car-jacking because the truck was taken at gunpoint, said sheriff’s spokesman Dave Reagan.

The incident began about 5:10 p.m. when a man walked up to the Java Jump espresso stand in a parking lot near Valley Way and Mullan, deputies said.

He pointed a handgun at the clerk and demanded money. Deputies did not know late Tuesday if the man took any money.

The suspect then ran through the parking lot and stole a 1973 Chevy pickup, deputies said. The owner of the pickup flagged down a motorist for a ride and the two of them followed the suspect while directing deputies to the area with a cell phone.

Two deputies tried to stop the suspect in the East 9800 block of Valley Way after he ran the truck through at least six yards.

The man rammed two sheriff’s cars and slammed through the front of a home at 6911 E. Valley Way about 5:30 p.m. while a woman and several teens slept inside.

The man got out of the truck, which was destroyed, and waved what witnesses said appeared to be a shotgun.

Deputies found a handgun near a tire store on East Sprague. No other weapons were recovered, deputies said.

The man was wearing a bullet-proof vest and carrying handcuffs when he was arrested, deputies said.

The sheriff’s patrol cars sustained between $5,000 and $7,000 in damage. About $500 damage was done to the front of the home, deputies said.

, DataTimes