Stolen semi driver accused of trying to run over police officers

The man accused of leading Spokane police on a high speed chase while driving a stolen semi Thursday was smiling, laughing and pumping his right fist in the air during the chase, police said.

Citizens and police alike were forced into mad scrambles to get out of the semi’s way as it drove as fast as 70 miles per hour, sometimes on the wrong side of the road.

The semi driven by Daren A. Suiter, 38, eventually stopped when it ran into a parked car and a garage in the 1600 block of East Dalton Avenue.

Suiter is facing nine criminal counts for the chase. Court documents state that the semi missed one police car by only two feet.

The semi tractor was reportedly stolen from RWC Group at 824 N. Thierman sometime overnight. The tractor was then used to steal a loaded Wal-Mart trailer at 1221 S. Hayford Road in Airway Heights around 6 a.m.

Suiter is jailed on $250,000 bond.