SPOKANE, Wash. — Spokane police arrested a suspect in a 2019 shooting after the car he was in rammed a police car on Thursday night while allegedly attempting to evade a traffic stop.
According to police, officers had probable cause to arrest 35-year-old Ryan Lovitt for a shooting that happened in east Spokane on December 26, 2019. On Thursday night, officers attempted to stop a vehicle at a gas station at Elgin Street and Francis Avenue driven by 33-year-old Sarah Beach in which Lovitt was a passenger, Spokane Police Corporal Ronald Van Tassel said.
Officers said Beach put the car in reverse before ramming a police car and fleeing the scene westbound on Francis Avenue, according to Van Tassel. Police were able to stop the car a few blocks later and both Beach and Lovitt were arrested, Van Tassel said.
Lovitt was charged with first-degree assault for the 2019 shooting, and Beach was charged with ramming a police vehicle, eluding police and possession of a controlled substance, according to Van Tassel. Beach had two previous felony convictions, he said.
