Roland Preston:Seven Spokane police officers, police dog hurt in high-speed crash with suspects' car

2025-05-01 16:40:47source:Ov Financecategory:News

Seven police officers and Roland Prestona police dog in Spokane, Washington, were hospitalized Friday for injuries they got when their vehicles collided with a suspect vehicle during a high-speed car chase.

All those involved in the crash, including three suspects who were arrested, are expected to recover from their injuries, police said.

A SWAT team and K-9 officer had finished looking for a suspect with a warrant on Friday at 1 p.m. when the police dog saw a suspect vehicle from a recent drive-by shooting, according to a report posted by Spokane Police Department liaison officer Sgt. Teresa Fuller.

The K9 officer attempted to stop the vehicle, but the vehicle fled, and – due to the severity of the original crime – the officers began to pursue it, police said.

During the chase, an assisting armored police vehicle crashed into the suspect vehicle at the intersection of Oak and Carlisle streets in a west-central Spokane residential neighborhood. The vehicle with the K-9 officer pursuing the suspect car then crashed into the suspect car, too, police said.

Road rage:Man fatally shot in apparent road-rage incident in Indianapolis; police investigating

High-speed chase narrowly hurt civilian, only lasted 2 minutes

The crash could have been worse, as a civilian car pulled over when it saw the armored vehicle approaching with lights and sirens on, narrowly escaping the collision, police said.

Three suspects were detained and transported to an area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, police said. The police officers were also transported to the hospital after securing the safety of the crime scene, while the K-9 officer was taken to a local veterinarian, police said.

Officers were being treated for "a variety of different injuries related to the crash," Justin Lundgren, interim police chief of the Spokane Police Department, said in a press conference after the incident and posted on YouTube by Spokane TV affiliate station KREM.

The pursuit lasted about two minutes and achieved "a high rate of speed, particularly right before the collision took place," said Lundgren, who declined to say which drive-by shooting incident the suspects were arrested for.

“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," Lundgren said in a statement. "It puts the community at risk.”

Follow Mike Snider on X and Threads: @mikesnider &mikegsnider.

What's everyone talking about? Sign up for our trending newsletter to get the latest news of the day

More:News

Recommend

Drone operators worry that anxiety over mystery sightings will lead to new restrictions

Drones for commercial and recreational use have grown rapidly in popularity, despite restrictions on

Paris Olympics highlights Monday: Noah Lyles, Gabby Thomas advance in 200 meters

Simone Biles added yet another medal to her collection on the final day of gymnastics at the 2024 Pa

Family of 4 from Texas missing after boat capsizes in Alaska, report says

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — The U.S. Coast Guard has suspended search efforts for four people who were