Police arrest suspect in two armed gas station robberies Wednesday, one suspect still at large

One suspect is in custody and another still at large after two early morning armed robberies at north Spokane Zip Trip gas stations Wednesday.

The Spokane Police Department was called to an armed robbery at about 2:40 a.m. at a Zip Trip located at 1023 W. Wellesley Ave.

The clerk told police he was robbed by a lone assailant with a handgun, according to a police department statement. Patrol units and the K9 team responded and began searching the area for a suspect.

Just before 5:40 a.m. a second armed robbery was reported at the Zip Trip at 2020 W. Francis Ave. There, two people entered the store and robbed a clerk before fleeing on foot, according to police. One had a shotgun while the other was armed with a knife, police said.

A Spokane County Sheriff’s Deputy was nearby at the time of the call and arrived on scene to see two suspects fleeing the store parking lot, a police statement said.

The deputy, along with backup SPD units, began pursuing the suspects who quickly split up. One suspect dropped a 20-gauge sawed-off shotgun and stolen items and jumped a fence to evade police, according to an SPD statement.

The suspect was caught a short time later. After recovering the shotgun, police said, they discovered it was not only loaded but the hammer was cocked.

The second suspect was still at large as of 11 a.m. Wednesday. The investigations are ongoing. The name of the suspect in custody has not been released by police.

Anyone with information on the robberies or suspects can call Crime Check at (509) 456-2233.