Woman fleeing from police leaves teen on the side of the road

A woman who led Washington State Patrol troopers and Spokane Valley deputies on a high-speed chase Wednesday night stopped midflight to let a teenager out of her car.

The Spokane County Sheriff’s Office had been receiving calls all afternoon about a woman in a red Subaru who was waving around either a knife or a screwdriver and threatening people, said WSP spokesman Trooper Jeff Sevigney.

“This happened several times,” he said. “We just weren’t able to catch up with her.”

A trooper spotted her early Wednesday evening near Interstate 90 and Broadway Avenue and attempted to pull her over, but she sped away. She drove on and off the freeway at speeds as high as 90 mph. She went south on Argonne and west on Mission before stopping briefly to let a 14-year-old out of the car, Sevigney said.

The woman circled back and headed east on Sinto Avenue and ran a stop sign at Mullan Road, crashing into two other vehicles. The woman had minor injuries and the other drivers were not injured.

A trooper stopped to pick up the teen, who was taken to a relative’s home.

The woman is facing charges of eluding police, a felony, and reckless endangerment. Troopers are also investigating whether the woman was impaired, Sevigney said.