Police struggle invokes protocol

Spokane police invoked their “fatal incident protocol” Thursday morning when a man who fought officers violently, injuring three of them, showed signs of possibly fatal stress.

Doctors were concerned the man, whose name was not released, might not survive when he arrived at a hospital. But he was in satisfactory condition by midafternoon, according to sheriff’s Sgt. Dave Reagan.

The fatal incident protocol, invoked by new Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick, calls for the Sheriff’s Office to investigate such incidents.

Reagan said information remained sketchy Thursday evening, but it appeared the man may have suffered severe stress from heavy exertion while under the influence of drugs.

“I think the concern was elevated body temperature,” Reagan said. “We had indications of drug abuse, and we had rapid respiration.”

The man’s name was being withheld until detectives determined whether there was probable cause to charge him with a crime.

Reagan said police received three calls for help at the Select Inn, 1420 W. Second Ave., starting about 6 a.m. All the calls were believed to have come from the man who was hospitalized.

In the first call, the man reported “something going on” that “felt like a dangerous situation.” He called again to say there were people at his door with weapons, and then a third time saying he needed help inside his room, Reagan said.

Events after that were unclear and still under investigation, Reagan said. Essentially, he said, a fierce melee broke out in or near the man’s room and progressed down a breezeway to a storage room, where three officers managed to handcuff the suspect.

The officers’ names also were withheld. Reagan said one of them suffered cuts from a blow to the head, one had undetermined injuries to both knees, and the third had cuts and possible hand and finger sprains.

There was a woman in the suspect’s room, but officers found no one with a weapon, Reagan said. Detectives were going door-to-door Thursday evening to interview witnesses.