SPOKANE, Wash. — A helicopter helped the Spokane Police Department (SPD) catch a fleeing driver on Thursday night.
SPD officers spotted a truck traveling at a high speed and recklessly changing lanes near North Nevada Street and East Queen Avenue. Officers tried to stop the truck, but the driver continued to speed off at a high speed.
At the time of the pursuit, the Spokane Regional Air Support Unit (SRASU) helicopter was in the air for a scheduled flight. The Air 1 unit located the speeding truck.
SPD tried to pull over the vehicle again, but the truck driver sped off. The helicopter then tracked the driver for 10 minutes while communicating the truck's location with SPD.
After driving down alleyways and side streets, the truck driver exited his car near Fairview Ave and fled on foot.
The Air 1 unit continued to track the suspect and guided SPD the suspect's general area. SPD officers then exited their cars and told the suspect to stop resisting arrest.
According to SPD, he continued to resist arrest, then threw evidence over a fence and attempted to climb it. Officers arrested the suspect and took him into custody.
The suspect was booked into the Spokane County Jail for one count of a DUI, two counts of attempting to elude police, driving with a suspended license, unlawful possession of a firearm, possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver, obstructing a law enforcement officer and resisting arrest.
DOWNLOAD THE KREM SMARTPHONE APP
DOWNLOAD FOR IPHONE HERE | DOWNLOAD FOR ANDROID HERE
HOW TO ADD THE KREM+ APP TO YOUR STREAMING DEVICE
ROKU: Add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching for KREM in the Channel Store.
Fire TV: Search for "KREM" to find the free app to add to your account. Another option for Fire TV is to have the app delivered directly to your Fire TV through Amazon.
To report a typo or grammatical error, please email webspokane@krem.com.