Man Arrested After Shots Fired

A 41-year-old Spokane man was arrested early Sunday morning after threatening to have a shootout with police and assaulting a woman, police said.

Around 4 p.m. Saturday, Ronnie T. Simms threw a young woman out of his apartment at 1639 E. Pacific after the pair had an argument, witnesses told police.

He then followed her to her car and fired three shots in the air, witnesses said.

The woman told police Simms hit her and threw her against a wall. She did not require hospitalization.

Police learned through a source - which they refuse to identify - that Simms threatened to have a shootout if officers tried to arrest him. Police withdrew.

“They decided they didn’t want to confront someone who was armed and had just fired shots,” said police spokesman Dick Cottam.

“They knew who it was and where he was,” he added, explaining why the police didn’t arrest Simms immediately. “He didn’t fire at anyone, he had just fired into the air.”

Police returned at 1:15 a.m. Sunday with a SWAT team and arrested Simms. Police made a quick entry.

“They weren’t going to give him time to confront them,” Cottam said.

The handgun Simms is believed to have used was recovered by police. Simms was booked into jail on domestic violence and second-degree assault charges.