Suspect drops machete when confronted by resident with shotgun

A teenager suspected in a Spokane Valley burglary early Tuesday was confronted at the scene by a resident armed with a shotgun. The teen was armed with a machete but set it down when the resident fired a warning shot. When deputies arrived, they found the suspect, who is 17, bound with zip ties. The residents of a home in the 8000 block of East South Riverway Avenue said their garage had been burglarized several times in recent days, a news release from the Spokane County sheriff said. The homeowners said they hadn’t reported the incidents because nothing of value had been taken. They believed the burglars might return so they installed motion lights and armed themselves with bear spray and a shotgun. The homeowners saw the motion lights come on around 1:50 a.m. and heard sounds in the garage. They stepped out and emptied the can of bear spray into the garage. The burglars broke out a window and ran from the garage. However, one of them, a 17-year-old boy armed with a machete, was confronted in the front yard by one of the residents, armed with a shotgun. The resident said he yelled at the suspect twice to stop, but the teenager moved toward him. The resident then fired his shotgun toward the fence as a warning, the release said. The boy immediately dropped the weapon and backpack he was carrying and laid down on the ground. Deputies arrived to find the boy bound with zip ties, the release said. An air pistol was recovered from the scene. The teenager was arrested and booked into Spokane County Jail on burglary charges. On Tuesday night, investigators found and arrested a second suspect in the burglary, Raynee D. Moore, 19. Moore was also booked on suspicion of felony burglary. The suspects believed there might be a large amount of marijuana stored at the residence, the release said. Detectives are looking for a third person believed involved with this crime. Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Check at (509) 456-2233.