A couple called in a bomb threat to elude capture after being caught taking parts off a stolen car, police say.

Alkala Michener, 22, and Charles E. Pearson, Jr., 25, were arrested Tuesday night after the Patrol Anti-Crime Team responded to a home on East Bridgeport in Spokane Valley.

Michener and Pearson were found taking wheels off a 1997 Jeep Cherokee that had been reported stolen the night before, according to a news release from the Spokane Police Department. They were putting the wheels on a different jeep belonging to Michener, the release said.

The couple fled into the house as officers approached. Police say they both then called in bomb threats in an unsuccessful attempt to lure police away. A K-9 unit entered the house to find Michener and Pearson in the basement.

The stolen Jeep was returned to the owner.