Man who set downtown Spokane gas station ablaze during police standoff sentenced to more than 7 years

The man who set a downtown gas station ablaze during an hours-long standoff with Spokane police last fall because he didn’t want to go back to jail was sentenced Wednesday to 7 1/4 years in prison.

The incident began when a Washington State Patrol trooper pulled over the car 49-year-old Phillip Booher was riding in on Highway 2 because Booher was not wearing a seat belt, according to court records. Booher told the trooper he was not going back to jail after questions about his identity, then pointed what looked like a handgun at the trooper and drove off in the car by himself.

Booher then led police on a chase through downtown Spokane and pointed what looked also like a handgun at a pursuing Spokane police officer, court documents say. He eventually abandoned his car and tried to steal at least one car from a driver at gunpoint, then ran inside the 76 station at the corner of Second Avenue and Walnut Street.

Several people fled from the convenience store as Booher entered wielding the apparent gun, according to court records. The store employee told The Spokesman-Review that Booher used a phone on the counter to call a woman, then told the employee to leave the building.

A five-hour-long standoff ensued, during which Booher threatened to shoot police officers and set the building ablaze by lighting various items inside the store on fire, court records show. Booher refused to leave during the fire, which also slowed the fire department’s response.

A restaurant and motel on the same corner had to be evacuated. Officers also attempted to use chemical agents to get Booher to leave.

Around 11:30 p.m. the Spokane police SWAT team created a hole in the side of the building to get Booher out and arrest him, according to court records. KHQ recorded video of an armored vehicle ramming into the store.

Police arrested Booher in the gas station cooler and later recovered an Airsoft replica handgun, court records show.

At the time, Booher had an unrelated bench warrant from Walla Walla County for a prior second-degree burglary charge, according to police. He had prior felony convictions for burglary, controlled substance possession and taking a motor vehicle without permission.

Booher pleaded guilty to several charges related to the chase, standoff and fire that included eluding police, assault, burglary, robbery and arson, according to court records. He will serve 87 months in prison.