Woman suspected of multiple Spokane robberies

A woman who tried fleeing Spokane police after being detained as a possible suspect in a salon robbery also may be linked to an earlier coffee stand holdup, authorities say. The Tully’s coffee shop on South Hill was robbed on Thursday around 7 a.m. by a woman who escaped with an undisclosed amount of money from the 2009 E. 29th Avenue location. She fled the scene in a car and police were unable to track her down. Later that evening, police responded to a robbery report at Great Clips at 30th Avenue and Grand Boulevard where police say the robber threatened employees with chemical mace. A vehicle with a matching description was pulled over shortly after and the driver, identified as Melissa D. Tschanz, 37, fled the scene while an officer ran a check on her driver’s license. Police pursued Tschanz all the way to Spokane International Airport where her vehicle was pushed into a guardrail by a police vehicle, according to Spokane Police. Tschanz was not injured in the crash and was taken into custody on suspicion of second-degree robbery and attempting to elude police. Police say the vehicle was rented from a company near the airport, but the license plates did not match the car’s registration. Tschanz faces additional first-degree robbery charges for the Tully’s Coffee robbery.