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Pursuit ends in Idaho field

Whitman County Sheriff's Sgt. Chris Chapman stands near the wreckage of his patrol car on the Washington and Idaho border near Tekoa, Wash., on Thursday night. Chapman was rammed by a stolen Spokane Valley Fire Department medic vehicle that police had chased for miles at speeds up to 90 mph. (Kathryn Stevens / The Spokesman-Review)
By John Craig and Jody Lawrence-Turner The Spokesman-Review
Whitman County Sheriff's Sgt. Chris Chapman stands near the wreckage of his patrol car on the Washington and Idaho border near Tekoa, Wash., on Thursday night. Chapman was rammed by a stolen Spokane Valley Fire Department medic vehicle that police had chased for miles at speeds up to 90 mph. (Kathryn Stevens / The Spokesman-Review)

A 26-year-old Moses Lake man drove off with a Spokane Valley Fire Department medic vehicle Thursday evening during an emergency call and led police on a 52-mile pursuit in which a Whitman County deputy sheriff’s car was smashed, authorities said.

The chase, which reached speeds of 90 mph, ended in a muddy field in Benewah County, about 45 miles south of Coeur d’Alene.

Officers from the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office and the Washington State Patrol used the satellite-tracking system built into the 1999 Suburban’s onboard Fire Department computer to track the vehicle as it proceeded south from The Garden, an adult care center at 414 S. University Road.

A paramedic and an emergency medical technician were treating an elderly woman, who was unconscious, when Jesse Matthew Vasquez took the truck about 6 p.m.

Spokane Valley Fire Department spokesman Bill Clifford said the unlocked rig’s engine was running so its emergency flashers wouldn’t drain its battery.

About 6:30 p.m. the Suburban passed three Washington State troopers in a no-passing zone. Trooper Chris Holt, of the patrol’s auto theft division, said he called dispatchers, who confirmed it had been stolen.

A Whitman County sheriff’s deputy was placing a spike strip near Tekoa, Wash., when the Suburban crashed into his cruiser. The deputy, who was inside his car, wasn’t seriously injured.

The pursuit continued into Idaho, and ended near Tensed, when the Suburban went off the highway into a muddy field, as did two pursuing Spokane County sheriff’s cars.

Toward the end of the pursuit, nearly 12 law enforcement officers were chasing the stolen rig.

Deputies had to break out the driver’s side window of the Suburban to remove Vasquez, according to Cpl. Dale Toliver.

Because the pursuit ended in Idaho, Vasquez will have to be extradited to Washington, Toliver said. Meanwhile, the 26-year-old has been booked into a jail in Benewah County.

He’ll face felonies in Idaho and Washington, Toliver said.

Troopers who interviewed Vasquez asked him why he took the Suburban – clearly marked as an emergency vehicle. They said he told them: Because it was there.