Police arrest two teens in patrol car crash

Two teens have been arrested for placing wood and rocks on Pines Road that led to a patrol car crash just after midnight on Friday, Aug. 3 in Spokane Valley. The 16-year-old males scattered two-foot-long pieces of firewood, tree branches and a plastic bin filled with large rocks across the road before several deputies responded to an unrelated fight call down the street at South Pines Elementary. Deputy Rustin Olson lost control of his car at high speed when he drove over a piece of wood, and then flipped and crashed into a retaining wall. Olson suffered back injuries from the accident. Spokane Valley Sheriff’s Cpl. Jeff Welton arrested the two boys following a tip from one of their friends linking them to the event. Deputies found no fight at the school when they arrived, leading them to suspect the call was a fake and an attempt to ambush police. But at this point, there is no evidence to suggest that it was an ambush, Welton said. “I think it was kids being dumb kids, basically,” he said, “just for something fun to do.” The teens are facing a felony charge of first degree malicious mischief and a misdemeanor charge of reckless endangerment.