Man armed with machete rams cars in Garland district

Police flooded the Garland business district Tuesday evening in an unsuccessful search for a man armed with a machete who reportedly rammed vehicles and threatened employees before running off into the night.

The man went into Red Line Coins at 641 W. Garland and attempted to purchase $10,000 in merchandise, said Spokane Police Officer Ron VanTassel. The business owner didn’t believe his check was “legit” and called police, he said.

An employee used his vehicle to block the man’s car in until police arrived and the man rammed it, VanTassel said.

“He rammed the employee’s car three or four times,” he said.

All the employees ran back inside the store and the man drove his car up to the door of the business and left it there to trap the employees inside, VanTassel said. He reportedly got out of his car, waved a machete around threateningly and then ran off.

He is described as a white man about 30 years old, six feet tall and 300 pounds with reddish brown hair.

The car the man left behind was a rental but investigators will obtain a search warrant so they can retrieve items left inside, VanTassel said. Police believe they know the man’s identity but are not releasing it at this time.