SPOKANE, Wash. — Authorities say a suspect who fled into the Spokane River following a police chase on Friday morning was wanted in Utah.
It is unclear why the man, identified as Casey Gillette, was wanted in Utah.
The police chase spanned from Airway Heights to downtown Spokane, authorities said.
The suspect was taken to a local hospital. He is alive but his condition is unknown.
A spokesperson for the Spokane Police Department told KREM that Airway Heights police were pursuing the suspect during a traffic stop when he fled.
Airway Heights police told KREM that the suspect hit spike strips on Highway 2 and Deer Heights Road. The chase then continued to Interstate 90, where the vehicle lost one front tire.
The chase then resumed in downtown Spokane, where the car lost another one of its front tires, police said.
Police said the suspect got out of his vehicle on the Division Street Bridge and then jumped into the Spokane River.
The suspect left his girlfriend, who is nine months pregnant, in the car on the Division Street Bridge, police said. She was taken to a local hospital for complaints of stomach pain.
The suspect's girlfriend told police she did not want to be in the car.
Authorities on the river who were searching for the suspect had their guns drawn.
Traffic was reduced reduced to one lane on Northbound Division Street but all lanes have since reopened.
There has been a large police presence throughout the downtown area since about 4 a.m. on Friday.
