Seven Spokane Police officers were hospitalized following a police pursuit that resulted in a crash Friday afternoon.
Interim Police Chief Justin Lundgren provided details of the incident during a press conference. At approximately 12:56 p.m., officers in Northwest Spokane were concluding an unrelated search warrant when they noticed a vehicle suspected to be involved in a recent drive-by shooting.
The officers initiated a pursuit and called for additional support, including an armored truck. Just before 1 p.m., at the intersection of North Oak Street and West Carlisle Avenue, the suspect’s car collided with the armored truck at high speed, causing it to spin 180 degrees and resulting in a crash involving a patrol car.
The three suspects in the car, along with seven officers and a police canine, were transported to the hospital. Lundgren described the impact as very significant, stating, “The speed of the collision and the force of the impact was very significant, and so we transported all the officers to an area hospital. I was fortunate to be able to speak to each one of them. They’re in good spirits, and they will recover from their injuries.”
Lundgren did not specify which drive-by shooting the vehicle was connected to but emphasized the challenges faced by the community due to the brazen behavior of violent suspects. “The challenges our officers have with the behavior of some of these suspects, especially our violent suspects, being so brazen, it’s a real issue for our community. I am so thankful everyone is ok,” Lundgren said.
The intersection remained closed for several hours as authorities conducted their investigation.
Siete agentes de policía de Spokane fueron hospitalizados luego de una persecución policial que resultó en un accidente el viernes por la tarde.
El jefe de policía interino, Justin Lundgren, proporcionó detalles del incidente durante una conferencia de prensa. Aproximadamente a las 12:56 p.m., los oficiales en el noroeste de Spokane estaban concluyendo una orden de registro no relacionada cuando notaron un vehículo que se sospechaba que estaba involucrado en un tiroteo reciente desde un vehículo.
Los agentes iniciaron una persecución y pidieron apoyo adicional, incluido un camión blindado. Justo antes de la 1 p.m., en la intersección de North Oak Street y West Carlisle Avenue, el automóvil del sospechoso chocó con el camión blindado a alta velocidad, lo que provocó que girara 180 grados y provocara un choque que involucró a una patrulla.
Los tres sospechosos que iban en el coche, junto con siete agentes y un canino de la policía, fueron trasladados al hospital. Lundgren describió el impacto como muy significativo y afirmó: “La velocidad de la colisión y la fuerza del impacto fueron muy significativas, por lo que transportamos a todos los oficiales a un hospital del área. Tuve la suerte de poder hablar con cada uno de “Están de buen humor y se recuperarán de sus heridas”.
Lundgren no especificó con qué tiroteo estaba relacionado el vehículo, pero enfatizó los desafíos que enfrenta la comunidad debido al comportamiento descarado de los sospechosos violentos. “Los desafíos que nuestros oficiales tienen con el comportamiento de algunos de estos sospechosos, especialmente nuestros sospechosos violentos, que son tan descarados, es un problema real para nuestra comunidad. Estoy muy agradecido de que todos estén bien”, dijo Lundgren.
La intersección permaneció cerrada durante varias horas mientras las autoridades realizaban su investigación.
City of Spokane Police Department Press Release Re: Seven Spokane Police Officers Injured in Crash
Seven Spokane officers and a K9 were injured in a crash with suspects from a drive-by shooting as they fled from officers.
All the officers and the K9 are currently at local hospitals and are expected to recover. The suspects were also transported with non-life-threatening injuries.
Today, July 19, 2024, just before 1:00 pm, SWAT and K9 officers had just cleared a call looking for a suspect with a warrant when the K9 officer saw a suspect vehicle from a recent drive-by shooting. The K9 officer attempted to stop the vehicle but they fled. Due to the severity of the original crime, officers initiated a pursuit. Officers in an armored vehicle moved in to assist as the suspects fled into a residential neighborhood.
As the suspects fled eastbound on Carlisle, the armored vehicle was approaching southbound on Oak and the two vehicles crashed in the intersection. The K9 vehicle that was pursuing the suspect car then crashed into the suspect car as well. The attached link provides footage of the crash.
Three suspects were taken into custody without further incident and were transported to an area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The K9 was taken to a local vet while the officers were all transported to the hospital after the scene was made safe. A civilian car was northbound on Oak, saw the oncoming armored vehicle with lights and sirens on, pulled over, and narrowly escaped the collision. Everyone involved is expected to recover from their injuries. Fortunately, no one else was injured as a result of the suspects’ actions.
“This particular incident highlights the challenges our patrol officers are up against every day with the number of shootings they investigate and the behavior of the suspects, not only while committing these violent crimes, but the great lengths they’ll go to escape. It puts the community at risk,” said Chief Justin Lundgren.
“Several Spokane Police officers were injured today while making an arrest. Any injury is tragic, but I am grateful it did not result in the loss of life. My thoughts are with the officers and their families,” said Mayor Lisa Brown of the incident.
The intersection of Oak and Carlisle is currently closed for the investigation. Further information will be released at a later time. Anyone with any information about the recent shootings or who has footage from this incident and has not been contacted is asked to call Crime Check at 509-456-2233.