SPOKANE, Wash. — A woman accused of pulling a gun on a man before stealing his car appeared in Spokane County court for the first time on Monday.
According to the Spokane County Sheriff's Office (SCSO), 22-year-old Deasia Walter is charged with first-degree robbery, first-degree assault and attempting to elude a police officer. The charges stem from her allegedly asking a man for a ride before pulling out a handgun and stealing his white SUV. During the altercation, the woman reportedly dragged the man across the road while trying to get away, resulting in him being seriously injured.
Walter was eventually stopped and arrested after leading police on a pursuit throughout Spokane, according to deputies.
At approximately 3:45 p.m. on Friday, SCSO deputies responded to a report of a man and woman arguing inside a white SUV driving south on North Middleton Drive and East Eaton Avenue. Shortly after, SCSO said a different caller reported hearing a gunshot from the same SUV, which was parked at the time.
SCSO dispatch said it received multiple other calls about the same incident, with reports ranging from a white SUV fleeing the area and an injured man lying on the ground.
Deputies and officers with the Spokane Police Department (SPD) responded to the area of North Middleton and East Eaton and found a man with severe injuries consistent with being drug by a car. The man was taken to the hospital for treatment.
Responding officers also found an unfired 10 millimeter cartridge in the roadway, according to SCSO.
The victim told deputies he was at a grocery store when he noticed a woman, later identified as Walter, standing near his parked car. He told officers he did not know who she was but agreed to give her a ride to a friend's apartment near East Hawthorne. Once they were there, the man said Walter got out of his car and knocked on an apartment door. Nobody answered, so she came back to the man's car and asked for a ride to a bus stop.
Once they arrived at a bus stop Middleton and Eaton, the two began talking and Water started digging in her purse. The man told police she pulled out a handgun, pointed it at him and told him to get out of the car, saying something to the effect of, "Sorry, it's your day." The man listened and got out.
The man told police he feared for his life, so he charged Walter and began grabbing her arms in an attempt to get the gun from her. SCSO said the gun fired during the struggle but didn't hit either one of them. After this, the man ran back to the car and tried to lock the doors, but Walter reportedly got back inside the car before he could do so.
SCSO said Walter pointed the gun at the man again, at which point he started driving the car while trying to get the gun from her. As this continued, Walter allegedly pushed the man out of the car from the driver's side door, but he hung onto the door and Walter got into the driver's seat and picked up speed, dragging the man along with her.
As deputies were responding to the man, they were alerted that the man's car was seen near Maple Street and First Avenue. A nearby police car started following the car but eventually lost sight of it. Shortly after, another office saw the car driving west on Sunset Boulevard and attempted to pull it over. The driver, who police identified as Walter, fled.
Officers pursued Walter until spike strips and PIT maneuvers stopped her on Sunset Boulevard west of Government Way. Walter and two other passengers initially didn't listen to officers commands, but were eventually arrested. The other passengers weren't charged in relation to the robbery but were arrested on separate, unrelated warrants.
Walter was charged with first-degree robbery, first-degree assault and attempting to elude a law enforcement officer. She was booked into the Spokane County Jail on a $51,500 bond.
During her first court appearance on Monday, a judge increased Walter's bond to $100,000. She is set to appear in court again on April 30.
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