Fleeing suspect rams Liberty Lake patrol car

One of the Liberty Lake Police Department’s new patrol cars was damaged Monday when it was rammed by a suspect attempting to flee from police.

An officer spotted a pickup truck parked at a closed business in the 1400 block of Liberty Lake Road at 4 a.m. on Monday and noticed that the registration had expired, said Police Chief Brian Asmus. Two men were inside the car, which sped east on Appleway, he said.

The truck drove into a dead-end driveway in the 3900 block of North Idaho Road. “The vehicle came to a stop and the officer was directly behind the vehicle,” Asmus said. “As the officer was getting out of his patrol car, the suspect vehicle backed up and accelerated into his patrol car.”

The car was damaged but the officer was unhurt, Asmus said. The truck drove over an embankment and through a field to get away, he said. The officer was notified by the Spokane Police Department that the truck might have been involved in a shooting incident in Spokane about an hour earlier, Asmus said. Additional officers responded but the men were not located.

The truck was found in the 6000 block of Chase Road later that morning. An investigation determined that the driver was Joshua G. Lincoln, Asmus said. Lincoln was arrested in Spokane on Tuesday and charged with felony eluding and second-degree assault.

Police have also learned that a snowblower found in the back of the abandoned truck had been stolen from a local Lowe’s store the night of the pursuit, Asmus said. “Apparently our guy is a suspect in some other Spokane burglary and county burglary incidents,” he said.

The rest of the week from Jan. 14-21 was considerably quieter. An officer responded to an injured deer call on North Molter Road the morning of Jan. 17. The deer had two broken legs and had to be put down, Asmus said.

An abandoned car that was blocking traffic was towed from near Broadway Avenue and Knudson Street on Jan. 16. A resident called on Jan. 15 to report door-to-door salesmen in the neighborhood of Boone Avenue and Malvern Street. One person was cited for failure to obtain a solicitor/peddler license. A customer of a business in the 23000 block of East Appleway Avenue apparently tried to leave without paying at 8 a.m. on Jan. 17. The woman, who apparently also had unpaid for merchandise in her purse, was cited for theft.

A driver was stopped for a traffic violation in the 22000 block of Appleway at 2:45 a.m. Sunday. The driver reportedly gave the officer a false name at first before he was positively identified, Asmus said. The officer learned the man was wanted on a felony warrant and he was arrested. The driver is also facing new charges of first-degree driving with a suspended license and obstructing a law enforcement officer, Asmus said.

During the week officers made six other arrests for driving with a suspended license and two arrests for driving under the influence. They handed out three citations for license and plates required, three for failure to obtain liability insurance, two for failure to stop at a stop sign and nine for speeding. Additional citations were given for defective brake light/turn signal, failure to stop at a red light, following too close, failure to stop/yield at an intersection, possession of a dangerous weapon and possession of burglary tools.