Suspected armed robbery leads to car chase, two arrests in Spokane

An alleged armed robbery turned into a vehicle pursuit and ended with the arrest of the driver and passenger Saturday on the south end of Spokane, according to the Spokane Police Department.

The robbery was reported about 2:45 p.m. on the 1100 block of West First Avenue downtown. The caller said a male had a handgun and left in a vehicle in an unknown direction.

An officer found the vehicle in the area of Maple Street and Fourth Avenue, police said. Once the suspects saw the officer, the driver reportedly intentionally backed into the police car, and a pursuit started.

Police lost sight of the vehicle at one point, but witnesses helped them relocate the vehicle in the area of Mount Vernon Street and 61st Avenue, police said. Officers struck the car head-on and were able to back it into a fence, disabling it, the release said. The driver and passenger were arrested without further incident, police said.

The driver, Shane White, 18, was arrested for suspicion of first-degree robbery, second-degree assault and attempt to elude a police vehicle. He will also be booked into Spokane County Jail for an extraditable warrant out of Benton County, Washington, for suspicion of first-degree robbery.

The passenger of the vehicle, Hamza Hussein, 20, was booked into Spokane County Jail for suspicion of first-degree robbery.

No one was injured. No firearms were found at the scene, SPD Sgt. Michael Huffman said, noting the investigation is ongoing and police are still searching for evidence.