Spokane police arrest man suspected of escaping work release facility, assault, robbery

Spokane police arrested a man Friday night in the Cliff/Cannon neighborhood who is accused of assault and robbery since escaping from a correctional facility this spring.

After multiple people fled a traffic stop in north Spokane at about 6 p.m. Friday, officers said they saw Anthony Gibson, 26, who had two felony warrants for his arrest, according to a news release. Officers also believed he may have had a gun.

Officers followed Gibson to West 10th Avenue and South Cherry Street while he was driving a Ford Explorer, but he would not exit the vehicle when they stopped him, according to a news release. He was eventually taken into custody after SWAT officers and a K-9 unit arrived.

Spokane police did not immediately find a firearm in the car, said Cpl. Teresa Fuller, a police spokesperson. But the vehicle was towed and could be subject to further searches.

Gibson was booked into Spokane County Jail just before 8 p.m. on charges of second-degree assault with a weapon, robbery and escape from a correctional facility. His bail was set at $275,000 in Spokane County Superior Court.

Gibson escaped from the Brownstone Work Release facility this spring and Crime Stoppers of the Inland Northwest offered a reward in May to people who came forward information.

Gibson pleaded guilty to assault in 2013, according to court records.