One killed, two injured after car slams into pedestrians in north Spokane parking lot

One person was killed and two others were seriously injured when a car crashed into a group of pedestrians in north Spokane Sunday morning.

At about 7:30 a.m., a silver sedan driven by 24-year-old Brittney Moen was apparently traveling at a high rate of speed, headed east in a parking lot outlet near the Safeway on North Market Street when it jumped the curb, slamming into the side of a Subway restaurant and hitting three people.

Officer Ben Maplethorpe, spokesman for the Spokane Police Department, said an adult male was transported to a local hospital, where he died of his injuries. Another male was seriously injured and transported to a hospital. An adult female was also taken to a hospital, where she was listed in critical condition as of Sunday afternoon.

Maplethorpe said the car was traveling fast enough that it was able to hit the building several times before coming to a rest in the parking lot. Moen was arrested and is facing two charges of vehicular assault and one charge of vehicular homicide. She is currently in the Spokane County Jail awaiting a first court appearance Monday afternoon.

Moen has a history of vehicle-related infractions, including DUI and speeding. According to court records, she was cited in 2013 for speeding 20 mph over the speed limit. In 2015, speeding again and driving without insurance. In January of this year, she was arrested for DUI and driving without insurance.

Police didn’t say Sunday if Moen was under the influence.

Workers of the Metro PCS phone retailer, and people who frequent the Subway and live in the neighborhood, said it’s common to see a group of people sleeping or sitting in the area where the three were hit.

One man who came to Safeway at around 10:30 a.m. and parked near the scene said he saw officers hauling off piles of belongings, including a shopping cart, into their vehicles after the crash. The area of the store behind where the people were hit was dented, and debris laid strewn about, including pieces of fruit and other items.

“Judging by the amount of stuff they had with them by the building, and the sleeping bags and blankets, I would hazard to guess they probably were homeless,” Maplethorpe said.

Subway employees were apparently setting up to open for the day when the collision happened, prompting them to post a sign on the door indicating it would be closed for the day while police investigate. Sections of the Safeway parking lot were closed for several hours but reopened around 11:30 a.m.

The cause, manner of death and identity of the person killed will be released by the Spokane County Medical Examiner, police said.