Spokane police urge public not to drink and drive after several dangerous crashes over Labor Day weekend

Spokane police are urging the public not to drive drunk or under the influence of drugs after several dangerous crashes over the Labor Day weekend.

One crash occurred Saturday evening, when a driver towing a 23-foot pontoon boat sped past emergency vehicles near Spokane Community College. The truck later crashed into a center median after cutting several cars off, said Spokane police Cpl. Ronald Van Tassel in a news release early Monday morning. Officers said the man driving the truck had taken over for a friend after they were at the lake, saying the friend was too drunk to drive. Both men were arrested for driving under the influence and reckless endangerment, as there were four juvenile passengers in the car.

Police are asking for the public’s help in an investigation into another suspected DUI incident. Officers attempted a traffic stop on a white Honda sedan that prompted a chase ending near Friendship Park in north Spokane just before 5:30 p.m. Saturday. A male driver and his male passenger were both booked into Spokane County Jail on multiple warrants, including possession of the car believed to be stolen that they were driving. Police are asking anyone who was involved in the chase to call Crime Check at (509) 456-2233 and give a statement, referencing case #2019-20165977.

Suspected DUI cases continued Sunday, Van Tassel reported.

“Please remember that if you are going to drink, have a way to get home,” Van Tassel said in the release. “If your friends or loved ones are drinking, please don’t let them drive, it could be the last thing they do.”