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Car narrowly misses pedestrian before crashing into the Fox, police say

Skid marks and scratches on the sidewalk indicate where a car came close to crashing into the Martin Woldson Theater at the Fox Tuesday, May 20, 2020. The driver also destroyed a solar-powered garbage can. Jesse Tinsley/THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW (Jesse Tinsley / The Spokesman-Review)
Skid marks and scratches on the sidewalk indicate where a car came close to crashing into the Martin Woldson Theater at the Fox Tuesday, May 20, 2020. The driver also destroyed a solar-powered garbage can. Jesse Tinsley/THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW (Jesse Tinsley / The Spokesman-Review)
By Jared Brown jaredb@spokesman.com(509) 459-5135

A car narrowly missed a pedestrian before crashing into the Martin Woldson Theater at The Fox Tuesday morning, according to Spokane police.

Witnesses told officers a car driven by 32-year-old Jesse H. Johnson had been traveling at speeds of 60 to 70 mph while running multiple red lights through downtown before the crash, according to Spokane police. The car also crashed into a $7,000 solar-powered garbage can.

Officers arrested Johnson after multiple witnesses reported he was running from the scene, according to Spokane police. Johnson was evaluated by an officer who specializes in drug recognition and transported to a local hospital.

Johnson is suspected of DUI, hit-and-run and driving with a suspended license, according to jail records.

He is also being held in the Spokane County Jail on a governor’s warrant related to a burglary and gold theft investigation in Mariposa County, California.

Johnson was shot in the leg by Spokane police in 2012 near North Napa Street and East Mission Avenue while armed with a BB gun and confronting another man. Officers recovered a bag of methamphetamine from his mouth at the hospital.