2 sheriff’s deputies injured in fight with fugitive

Two sheriff’s deputies and a Montana fugitive were injured during a foot chase through a north Spokane neighborhood that ended in a brawl early Sunday. Michael J. Daniels, 26, and Eric B. Fowler, 30, both of Great Falls, were approached by deputies after being accused of assaulting a 27-year-old man in a home in the 400 block of East Hawthorne Road about 3:20 a.m. The man’s father said the fight was “over a years-old family dispute,” according to the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office. Fowler was arrested after two deputies saw the men leaving the home. But Daniels lied to the deputies about his identity, then struck Deputy Robert Brooke in the left leg when Brooke tried to handcuff him, according to the Sheriff’s Office. Deputy Gavin Pratt chased Daniels to a backyard in the 200 block of East Chilton, where the men fought “for a lengthy period of time,” according to a news release. Pratt injured his right hand and right knee; Daniels suffered minor injuries to his ribs and head, the Sheriff’s Office said. Deputies determined Daniels’ real identity through tattoos on his arms and stomach and discovered he has two felony escape warrants out of Great Falls. He was booked into Spokane County Jail on new charges of third-degree assault against a law enforcement officer, obstructing a police investigation, resisting arrest, and fourth-degree assault for the alleged attack on the 27-year-old man. Fowler was booked into jail on charges of fourth-degree assault and possession of marijuana.