SPOKANE VALLEY, Wash. — Spokane County Sheriff’s deputies arrested a man who is accused of stealing a man’s truck while he was warming it up in Spokane Valley Tuesday morning.
According to a press release from Spokane County Sheriff’s Corporal Mark Gregory, at 8 a.m., a man reported that he caught a suspect trying to steal his truck from in front of his home near the intersection of East 8th Avenue and South Farr Road. The victim said the suspect, later identified as 26-year-old Corey Munnerlyn, was last seen going south on Felts Road.
The victim told deputies he was warming up his truck and loading it with tools. He said he went back inside his home for less than five minutes and when he came out, he noticed the engine sounded different and the steering wheel moved, but no one was inside. He approached the truck and Munnerlyn accelerated rapidly, driving south on Felts, Gregory said.
The victim ran after the truck and jumped in the bed after Munnerlyn turned east on 8th Avenue. The victim punched the rear window, attempting to break it and stop Munnerlyn, Gregory said. Eventually, it broke and the victim got into the truck. Gregory said Munnerlyn stopped, put the truck in park, got out and started walking away.
Deputies spoke to a witness who saw part of the incident and corroborated the victim’s story, Gregory said.
Munnerlyn told deputies he was walking when the driver of the truck pulled up and “freaked out,” Gregory said. He said he tried to calm the driver down, but it only made him angrier.
Munnerlyn said he wasn’t sure why the driver was upset, but it was possibly because he cut in front of the truck, Gregory said.
Gregory said eventually his story changed and he admitted to fighting with the victim and pulling out a pocket knife after the victim pulled one out first.
He eventually got away and went into the office at Valley Cristian School to use the phone to call police, Gregory said. Afterward, Gregory said he walked away until deputies contacted him, and they found a small pocket knife on Munnerlyn, after his arrest.
Valley Christian and Horizon Middle School were placed on lockdown for about five minutes until deputies advised them Munnerlyn was in custody, Gregory said.
The victim received medical attention for a possibly broken hand from punching the window.
Munnerlyn was booked into the Spokane County Jail for theft of a motor vehicle and second degree assault.
