Medical examiner: Man who led police on car chase that ended in Liberty Park died by suicide

The man who led police on a car chase Monday that ended in Liberty Park died by suicide, according to the Spokane County Medical Examiner.

Blane Peterson, 35, died from a gunshot wound to the head, the medical examiner said. The manner of death was suicide.

A Bureau of Indian Affairs officer attempted to pull over Peterson for a traffic violation on Sprague Avenue just north of Northern Quest Casino at about 1:30 a.m. Monday morning, according to a news release from the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office.

When the vehicle did not stop, the BIA officer along with Airway Heights and Kalispel Tribal Police officers pursued Peterson’s car, the sheriff’s office said.

Officers told dispatchers that the suspect fired several shots at them from his vehicle and was trying to run cars off the road near Flint Road.

Eventually the car pursuit came to an end near Liberty Park in Spokane. By this point, Peterson had gotten out of the vehicle and officers with K-9s tracked him into the park.

That’s when officers heard another gunshot, according to the sheriff’s office. They took cover while drones were launched to investigate.

Peterson was found dead near the base of a rock cliff southeast of Liberty Park, according to the sheriff’s office.

Peterson had a lengthy criminal history in Spokane County dating back to 2004, when he pleaded guilty to third-degree assault. Most recently, in October, Peterson was charged with three counts of unlawful possession of a firearm.

He was also charged with theft of a motor vehicle and possession of a controlled substance in 2020. Those charges were pending at the time of his death.