Man charged with stealing box truck after police chase in west Spokane

A 39-year-old man is facing multiple felony charges after trying to elude police in a stolen delivery truck, according to the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office.

Joshua W. Johnson is facing charges including attempting to elude a police vehicle, possession of a stolen motor vehicle and two counts of third-degree assault stemming from a theft reported Sunday morning. He was booked into the Spokane County Jail.

Deputies said an employee with BAC Enterprises called 911 at approximately 7:50 a.m., reporting that a company box truck had been stolen. The employee was tracking the vehicle’s GPS location.

The vehicle was located by an Airway Heights police officer and a Kalispel tribal officer on two separate occasions, according to the sheriff’s office, but Johnson, the driver, did not pull over and nearly struck a patrol car. He also did not stop when sheriff’s deputies found the truck northbound on Grove Road, investigators said.

The pursuit continued onto North Houston Road where law enforcement deployed spike strips, according to the sheriff’s office. Deputies said the truck failed to avoid the strips and turned onto North Colville Road, a dead end.

Johnson, deputies said, attempted to turn around, crashing into a patrol car’s bumper. After deputies drew their weapons and ordered him to surrender, Johnson gave up and was taken into custody without further incident, according to the sheriff’s office.

Investigators confirmed the truck was stolen and discovered there was a pallet jack missing from the vehicle. Law enforcement found approximately $5,100 of items – including plywood sheets, a generator, a pressure washer and some smaller tools – in the back of the truck that were possibly stolen from an area construction site, deputies said.

Deputies also found Johnson had a felony warrant out for his arrest on the charges of theft of a motor vehicle, second-degree burglary and first-degree theft.