The Slice: An arresting anniversary

SATURDAY NIGHT had turned into Sunday morning and so now it was official. Wayne Downing had been with the Spokane Police Department for one year — July 18 to July 18.

But at the moment, the 30-year-old patrol officer had his mind on a more pressing matter.

Heading east on Indiana, an old pickup truck had just pulled up alongside him. And a young man in the truck had given Downing one of those “Uh oh” looks.

Downing called in and requested the description of a truck and the suspects connected with a North Side shooting that had taken place minutes before.

The information confirmed Downing’s suspicion. This was that truck.

Now positioned directly behind the pickup, Downing got back on the radio and reported the situation.

In what seemed like an instant, a second police cruiser had joined him. Then another. Then another.

Not wanting to make the stop at a main intersection where a worst-case scenario might involve too many bystanders, Downing waited. Then, after the growing caravan had rolled across Division and Ruby, he switched on his flashing lights.

For a long couple of seconds, it was unclear how the driver of the pickup would respond. But then he turned on Lidgerwood and stopped not far from the Salvation Army Center.

Downing, who is built like a linebacker and has a shaved head, bolted out of his car and began giving the suspects verbal instructions over a loudspeaker. If they could see past the bright lights directed at them, they saw half a dozen guns pointed at them.

One by one, the four occupants of the truck were handcuffed and placed in the backs of police cruisers.

A shotgun was discovered in the pickup under the driver’s seat.

When the tension had subsided, Downing got verbal high-fives for noticing the truck.

“Nice spot,” said one officer.

“Good spot,” said another.

Later, he got back in his patrol car to wait for a tow truck to come get the pickup.

“Sometimes you’re in the right place at the right time,” he said.

•She doesn’t work here: Bob Isitt thought he was just following his wife’s directions when he went to Home Depot with a specific question and asked to speak to Florene.

Only later, after a fair amount of confusion, did he learn that his wife had said “Flooring.”

• Young mothers: “My very pregnant niece runs a day-care center, and several of her preschool girls were pretending to be pregnant also,” wrote Sue Haynes of Sandpoint.

The kids had stuffed pillows under their shirts.

“Of course, the competitive spirit starts young,” said Haynes. “One of the girls announced, ‘My baby just moved.’ “

•Today’s Slice question: If you had been the first person to set foot on the Moon, what would have been your first words up there?