Spokane officer injured responding to robbery

A police officer was hospitalized with a neck injury Saturday after he was broadsided by another vehicle while en route to help catch robbery suspects.

The Spokane police officer, whose name was not released, was hit at Riverside Avenue and Browne Street at 2:30 a.m. as he drove through a flashing red light with the emergency lights on his patrol car flashing, the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office reported. The other driver, Taylor R. Shockman, 19, sustained minor injuries.

Police arrested Shockman for vehicular assault, but she may face other charges, said sheriff’s spokesman Sgt. Dave Reagan. Because the accident involved a city officer, the Sheriff’s Office is investigating.

The police officer was on his way to catch suspects from a robbery near the Cenex gas station at Mission Avenue and Ruby Street just before 2:30 a.m. Christopher W. Hardwick, 30, and Kevin W. Nichols, 26, stabbed a man in the stomach and stole his wallet, the Sheriff’s Office said. The two men allegedly drove a stolen Honda Civic to Riverfront Park, where one jumped into the Spokane River, and officers followed on foot.

Both were arrested and booked on charges for the stolen car, first-degree robbery and first-degree assault. Hardwick faces additional charges for eluding and possession of stolen property. Officers recovered the victim’s stolen wallet, Reagan said.

The officer’s condition was not available Saturday night; the stabbing victim was released from the hospital Saturday, a friend said.