Man jumps into bed of his truck while its being stolen, breaks out window to stop thief

A Spokane Valley man jumped into the bed of his truck while it was being stolen and punched out the back window to stop a thief Tuesday morning.

A man reported he left his truck unattended outside his house near East Eighth Avenue and South Felts Road at about 8 a.m. and came back to it accelerating away rapidly as he approached the vehicle from the rear, according to a news release. The man then ran after the vehicle and jumped into the bed of the truck.

The man eventually broke the rear window of his truck and got inside the cab, the release said. The man suspected of taking the vehicle, later identified as 26-year-old Corey M. Munnerlyn, put the truck in park and started to walk away before the man tried to stop him.

The man said Munnerlyn swiped a pocket knife at him and slashed his hand, according to a news release. The men then exchanged punches before Munnerlyn ran away.

Munnerlyn went into the office at Valley Christian School to use the phone to call police, and deputies contacted him as he was walking away, according to a news release. He had a knife on his person.

Deputies contacted Valley Christian and Horizon Middle School officials who placed the schools on lockdown as a precaution, according to a news release. The schools remained on lockdown for about five minutes until they were advised Munnerlyn was arrested.

Munnerlyn was booked into Spokane County Jail on vehicle theft and assault charges, the news release said. The victim received medical attention for a possible broken hand from punching the window.