Man arrested in Manito Boulevard home invasion after couple used bear spray to repel him

A 24-year-old Spokane Valley man is accused of entering an Upper Manito Boulevard home last week and fighting with the residents until they sprayed him with bear repellent.

The suspect, Javon Devine Bjaaland, walked into the South Hill home just before 7 a.m. on Feb. 5. A woman living in the home went to check on the sound of a screen door opening and spotted Bjaaland.

The woman attempted to push Bjaaland back out the door as he threw a punch that did not strike her, the woman told police officers. Her husband then entered the fray and hit Bjaaland in the head with a ceramic dish. It broke upon impact, and the pair pushed Bjaaland outside and shut the door, court records state – but it wasn’t enough to deter him.

Bjaaland continued to pace around the backyard before he grabbed a broom and then smashed the backdoor’s window and a nearby kitchen window in an attempt to get inside, records say. After the kitchen window broke, the husband sprayed Bjaaland in the face with bear repellent. Bjaaland carried on by circling around the house, apparently looking for a way in, the couple told law enforcement.

Officers located Bjaaland near Tekoa Street, after he fled the scene before law enforcement arrived. During their attempts to take him into custody, Bjaaland allegedly struck an officer with a metal barbecue utensil. He then identified himself to law enforcement as “Jack Sparrow” and “Jak Turner,” court records state.

Bjaaland remains jailed on charges including burglary, assault and obstructing police, according to Spokane County Superior Court charges.

The break-in occurred three days after Bjaaland was released from jail on his own recognizance after he was arrested on suspicion of commercial burglary and shoplifting stemming from an incident in which he is alleged to have stolen three donuts from the Spokane Valley WinCo store. The grocery had earlier trespassed him from the property.