Deputies arrest Spokane Valley man following crash of stolen pickup after chase was halted

A Spokane Valley resident was arrested Tuesday after allegedly leading deputies on a chase and crashing the stolen pickup he was driving.

A deputy saw a white Ford pickup that had been reported stolen going west on Indiana Avenue approaching Pines Road just after 4 p.m. Tuesday, according to a Spokane County Sheriff’s Office news release.

The deputy turned on his lights and siren and attempted to pull over the pickup, driven by Nicholas O. Stratton, 19, the sheriff’s office said.

Instead of pulling over, the driver allegedly sped up on Montgomery Avenue. The deputy said the driver sped through a roundabout and drove over curbs before turning onto Jackson Road.

The initial deputy lost track of the truck, but a short time later another deputy saw the truck and began to follow it, the sheriff’s office said.

Due to the dangerous nature of the situation, a sergeant stopped chasing, the sheriff’s office said.

Not long after, a deputy saw the truck crash into another car at Mansfield Avenue and Mirabeau Parkway. The truck rolled, the sheriff’s office said.

As deputies responded, Stratton climbed out of the wrecked truck and attempted to run away from the scene, but he was chased down and arrested, the sheriff’s office said.

The driver of the other vehicle suffered minor injuries, the sheriff’s office said.

Stratton gave police a fake name and date of birth, according to the sheriff’s office.

Stratton was treated at a local hospital before he was booked into the Spokane County Jail.

He faces charges of theft of a motor vehicle, attempting to elude law enforcement, hit and run, driving under the influence, obstructing and making false statements to law enforcement. His bail is set at $25,250.