Arrow-right Camera
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

SWAT standoff on lower South Hill ends with arrest of stabbing suspect, victim in hospital with life-threatening injuries

Spokane police, including SWAT officers, stage outside an apartment building on Sixth Avenue and Ash Street on Spokane’s lower South Hill Saturday. After a nearly two-hour standoff, police arrested Michael Sam, 27, for an alleged stabbing that sent a person to the hospital with life-threatening injuries.  (Garrett Cabeza / The Spokesman-Review)

An alleged stabbing landed one person in the hospital with life-threatening injuries and a 27-year-old man in handcuffs after a nearly two-hour standoff with police Saturday on the lower South Hill, according to the Spokane Police Department.

Michael Sam was arrested on suspicion of first-degree assault – domestic violence for the alleged stabbing at a brick apartment building at 1631 W. Sixth Ave., police said in a news release.

Officers responded to the reported stabbing shortly before 10 a.m. at the building on Sixth Avenue and Ash Street. An adult was taken to the hospital for treatment, and once it was determined which apartment unit Sam was in, several resources were called to take him into custody, according to police.

A SWAT team, Explosives Disposal Unit, hostage negotiation team, K-9 officers and an air support unit were among the units that responded to assist, police said. Several apartments were evacuated out of an abundance of caution. The Spokane Fire Department and American Medical Response were on standby.

Police told Sam multiple times he was under arrest, but he failed to obey commands to come outside, the release said. SWAT officers fired a chemical agent into the apartment, causing Sam to come out, leading to his arrest.

Officers escorted Sam in handcuffs and sat him down outside the tan-colored building. Medical first responders assessed Sam and put him on a gurney.

Spokane Police Sgt. Teresa Fuller said Sam was taken to the hospital for injuries that were not life-threatening.

Sam will be booked into the Spokane County Jail after he is medically cleared.

The standoff forced nearby streets and Interstate 90 to close. Both directions of I-90, from U.S. Highway 195 to Division Street, reopened after Sam was arrested, according to the Washington State Patrol.

Dan Connery, who lives in the Sixth Avenue apartment building, was one of the residents who evacuated.

Connery said he heard someone yelling in the building that morning. Later, he was watching TV when he heard Spokane police announce themselves, asking the suspect to come out of one of the units with his hands up.

Connery said he looked through his door peephole and saw police with rifles and shields.

“Heck with that, I’ve seen this story before in this building,” said Connery, who went back to watching TV.

Connery said there have been several prior domestic violence issues in his building.

Connery then got a knock at the door from police and was asked to leave the building. Connery was one of several neighbors outside who watched the standoff unfold.