Car chases land driver, passenger in jail
A miles-long chase that may have been prompted by a drug theft ended late Monday with the arrest of two men for second-degree assault and reckless endangerment, said Spokane Valley Police spokesman Sgt. Dave Reagan.
Investigation into the motive for the chase continues. However one suspect in the 11:30 p.m. incident said a theft of marijuana led to the vehicle chase that started at Trent Avenue and Pines Road and ended at Trent and McKenzie Road in Otis Orchards where one Ford Explorer spun out and became stuck on BNSF Railway tracks that parallel the highway.
The incident began when the driver of one Ford Explorer called 911 and reported that two men in a second Explorer were chasing them eastbound on Trent and trying to force them off the roadway. A passenger in the second SUV was waving a crowbar at the occupants of the first.
As Spokane Valley and Liberty Lake police converged on the chase, the victim driver reported he was trying to get to a convenience store at Trent and Starr Road to meet officers. He reported speeds up to 70 mph as he attempted to flee the suspects.
At McKenzie Road, the suspects reportedly pulled alongside and were trying to box the victim in. He later said he slammed on the brakes, lost control and spun up onto the railroad tracks.
The occupants fled the high-centered SUV with the two suspects in pursuit. The man with the crowbar threw the implement and struck a fleeing male in the back. He then picked up the crowbar and used it to smash out a window in the stuck Explorer.
A second fleeing victim was shoved by one of the suspects into a barbed wire fence. The victim suffered gashes on his arms and stomach.
The two suspects fled as officers were approaching the scene, but the victims obtained the license plate number and the two were later contacted at the driver’s home.
During the investigation, officers were contacted by females in a second car that had been targeted by the two suspects. They were acquaintances of the victims.
Their Volkswagen Jetta had been sideswiped by the suspects’ Explorer causing damage from one end to the other. The passenger in the suspect SUV also had thrown a cologne bottle that smashed a window in the Jetta.
Paramedics treated the victims who had been injured. Neither man had to seek treatment at a hospital.
BNSF trains that were approaching the stuck Explorer from east and west were stopped before a collision occurred. Rail traffic resumed shortly after the stuck vehicle was towed from the scene.
Officers identified and arrested suspects at 2216 N. Lilly Road, the home of driver Ryan W. Hendershot, 19. He was booked into the Spokane County Jail on a reckless endangerment charge. His passenger, Garrett E. Busch, 18, 712 E. Shannon Ave., was arrested on second-degree assault and booked into jail.