SPOKANE, Wash. — Spokane Police confirmed to KREM 2 the suspect in Wednesday morning’s SWAT standoff on Interstate 90 near Four Lakes is the man suspected of Tuesday’s stabbing in East Central.
According to Washington State Patrol (WSP), Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) crews saw the disabled car parked on the shoulder and contacted 38-year-old Damian Eiffert inside. Eiffert is the son of the man who was fatally stabbed on Tuesday evening. WSDOT crews say Eiffert was sleeping in the backseat. He told crews he was out of gas.
While crews were speaking to the suspect, dispatch informed the crews that the plates had come back to a stolen vehicle. WSP says they told WSDOT crews to stand back.
Spokane Police say Eiffert said he had a gun. Troopers then called for backup and stood down until they arrived.
Police said negotiators spoke to Eiffert on the phone and he allegedly made comments about Tuesday’s stabbing.
According to Sergeant Greg Riddell with Washington State Patrol, Eiffert then exited the car and made advances at officers. Riddell said the officers hit Eiffert with a beanbag round which prompted him to run into a nearby field where he was arrested.
There were no weapons found on the suspect or in the field where he was arrested and it is unknown if there was a weapon in the car. Eiffert was taken into custody for 2nd Degree Murder.
Multiple specialty units from the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO) responded to assist WSP. SCSO SWAT, Crisis Negotiations, Behavioral Health Unit and the Regional Air Support Unit arrived on the scene.
The incident prompted the closure of both the eastbound and westbound lanes for over an hour while the situation unfolded.
The stabbing on Tuesday in East Central happened at a home in the 3300 block of South Thor near East 1st Street.