Man who shot three outside Lucky’s Pub pleads guilty to assault charges

A 31-year-old man charged with shooting and injuring three people outside a downtown Spokane bar admitted to the shooting Friday.

Johnathan Love shot Nathanael Beier, 32, and Tonya Roberts, 49, in the head and shot Katelyn Corigliano, 31, in the leg early in the morning on April 9, 2022, outside Lucky’s Pub, 408. W. Sprague Ave.

Love was initially charged with three counts of first-degree assault and three-counts of drive-by shooting.

As part of a plea agreement, Love, wearing yellow Spokane County Jail clothing, pleaded guilty Friday to two counts of first-degree assault and one count of second-degree assault in front of Spokane County Superior Court Judge Harold Clarke III.

Spokane County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Tom Treppiedi and Love’s attorneys, Andrea Crumpler and Matthew Rabinovitch, recommended a 17-year prison sentence.

The maximum penalty for first-degree assault is life in prison and a $50,000 fine. Love has no prior felonies.

Police were called shortly before 1:30 a.m. for a shooting with multiple victims in front of the bar, according to court documents.

When they were shot, Roberts, a taxi driver, was sitting in her vehicle, while Beier and Corigliano were standing in front of Lucky’s.

Beier, who reportedly yelled for people to get down, is an Army veteran who served in Afghanistan. He was receiving treatment about one year ago at Hunter Holmes McGuire Hospital, a Veterans Affairs facility in Richmond, Virginia, according to his mother, Kym Beier.

Witnesses reported the gunshots came from an SUV driving the wrong way on Sprague Avenue, according to court records.

Officer Corrigan Mohondro was about 1½ blocks east of the shooting when it happened, documents say. Mohondro saw an SUV driving erratically and was about to make a traffic stop on the vehicle when he was notified of the shooting. He noted the first three digits of the Washington license plate and responded to Lucky’s.

Documents indicated several shell casings were located along Sprague between Washington and Stevens streets.

About 10 minutes after the shooting, Washington State Patrol Trooper Russell Sanders was driving west on U.S. Highway 2 at Flint Road when a BMW SUV sped past him with a Washington license plate that had the same first three digits Mohondro noted.

Sanders caught up to the BMW at Highway 2 and Hayford Road in Airway Heights, records say. He stopped the vehicle and detained Love, the only occupant of the car, for alleged traffic violations.

Sanders saw a shell casing on the front driver floor board of the car.

Mohondro responded to the traffic stop and identified the BMW as the vehicle he saw flee the scene of the shooting, documents say. Mohondro noticed what appeared to be a handgun tucked between the passenger seat and console, as well as shell casings in the car.

When interviewed by Detective Erik Golladay at about 3:20 a.m., Love denied any knowledge of gunshots coming from the vehicle but acknowledged the gun in the car.

Golladay said in documents that Love was intoxicated and vomited numerous times in the interview room.

Love told Golladay he left Lucky’s with two friends. Love drove one friend home in northeast Spokane and drove to an apartment complex near Northern Quest Resort and Casino to drop off the other friend.

Love said he was driving to another friend’s house when he was pulled over.

Love’s friend was asked to leave by bar employees because of his behavior, Love told police.

Love said the next thing he remembered after dropping the friend off in northeast Spokane was getting pulled over in Airway Heights.

The other friend told police he left the bar with Love before arriving at the northeast Spokane home at about 12:30 a.m. He said Love then left by himself.

Surveillance footage from a business showed a person who matches the description of Love get into a BMW at about 1:24 a.m., according to documents. The vehicle is seen leaving a parking lot and about 70 seconds later seen driving on Sprague as shots are fired.

Love is scheduled for sentencing at 9:30 a.m. Nov. 3.

Treppiedi said he expects victim impact statements to be delivered at sentencing. No one attended Friday’s hearing.