SPOKANE VALLEY, Wash. — A Spokane Valley deputy was reportedly punched in the head by a hit-and-run suspect as the deputy was trying to arrest him. This led to the suspect being tased and ultimately arrested.
32-year-old Jesse Thomas was booked into the Spokane County Jail Sunday morning. He is charged with third-degree assault, misdemeanor hit-and-run and misdemeanor resisting arrest for his alleged role in a hit-and-run with another driver.
Spokane Valley deputies responded to a reported hit-and-run on North Cherry Street on Sunday morning. The caller said they witnessed a grey Ford back into a Dodge Durango in the parking lot of an apartment complex. The caller also said a man and a woman got out of the ford and started walking into a wooded area nearby.
Deputies started looking for the suspects while the crash was being investigated. One deputy was called over by someone who said they were concerned for a woman they saw sleeping on the ground near Mansfield and Pines. As the deputy talked with the woman, he noticed a man walking that matched the description of the male hit-and-run suspect.
The deputy said the man "appeared to be sweating a lot, like he had been running." He approached the man and told him he matched the description of a hit-and-run suspect. The man, later identified as Thomas, identified himself to the deputy and denied being involved in the hit-and-run.
Thomas continued to do as the deputy said. The deputy told him he wasn't free to leave and asked him to stand in front of the patrol car while other deputies responded.
A woman who witnessed the crash then pulled in behind the deputy's car. She said Thomas was the person she saw leaving the scene of the crash.
The deputy turned back to Thomas and noticed he had moved from the front of the car to the sidewalk and "appeared to be getting nervous." He told Thomas to put his hands behind his back and that he was only being detained. At that point, Thomas allegedly pulled away and started walking away from the deputy.
The deputy once again told Thomas to put his hands behind his back and pinned him against the patrol car. Thomas allegedly continued fighting back, so the deputy called for assistance and eventually took Thomas to the ground.
As Thomas continued resisting, he eventually punched the deputy in the head. Another deputy arrived to help, but Thomas reportedly kept resisting. He was ultimately tased and arrested.
Thomas was taken to the hospital to have the taser probes removed and was later taken to the Spokane County Jail. He is charged with felony third-degree assault, misdemeanor hit-and-run and misdemeanor resisting arrest.
The deputy received minor injuries.
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