Hit-and-runs on rise in Spokane

Four cars were involved in a crash Wednesday at a North Spokane stop light. But when 17-year-old Miles Ralsey pulled over to exchange information with the other drivers, he realized he was alone.

The driver who caused the crash and those driving two other cars had left the area. Police say one driver was apparently trying to chase down the suspect vehicle, but was unsuccessful. The other driver called police from a different location, apparently to return to work.

“Because of one person, here are three people with thousands of dollars of damage to their cars,” said Spokane police Cpl. Jon Strickland.

More Spokane residents are seeing dings and dents to their vehicles with no one to hold accountable for the damage. Or worse, people are being hurt or killed and the reckless drivers are speeding away.

Hit-and-run crashes are on the rise in Spokane, with 127 reported since Nov. 15 and 1,218 so far this year, Strickland said. In all of 2006, there were 1,126.

Since the beginning of the year, at least two people have been killed in Spokane as a result of hit-and-run crashes, and at least six people were injured – four of whom were pedestrians, based on a search of previous news articles.

Fifteen arrests have been made in the last 34 days in connection with the recent hit and runs, Strickland said.

People driving under the influence of alcohol, or with suspended licenses, are the most common culprits, police say.

“A lot of times we aren’t able to solve (the crimes) because the car is parked” and the victim doesn’t witness the collision, Strickland said.

Even when the owners are there, Strickland said, they often get so flustered “they can’t provide a description of the driver or a license plate number.”

Strickland suggests drivers be observant while motoring around. They should look at the cars next to them and ask themselves: “What does the car look like? What does the driver look like?”

Added Officer Tim Moses. “Don’t confront the person. They might have a warrant or they might have just committed a crime.”

A misdemeanor hit and run can include anything from a dent – like a person might find after returning to their car from a shopping trip – to major damage. It also applies to personal property, such as a fence.

The hit and run becomes a felony when someone is injured, police say.

Police investigate all felony hit and runs, but with the misdemeanors it depends on whether there’s evidence at the scene. If not, then the incident should be reported to the Crime Reporting Center at (509) 532-9266.

On Wednesday, several customers in a nearby restaurant witnessed the crash involving Ralsey’s car and gave police a description of the cars and drivers involved.

Ralsey was not letting the minor damage to his older-model Honda ruin his mood. “It’s just a fact of life,” he said. “There are good people and bad people. Not everyone knows the difference between right and wrong.”