SPOKANE VALLEY, Wash. – Spokane Valley deputies say they arrested a transient man Thursday afternoon after he pointed a pistol at a driver stopped at a traffic light.
Steven Kester, 38, was booked into the Spokane County Jail for first degree assault.
Officials said just before 4:00 p.m. deputies responded to a report of a panhandler who had pointed a pistol at a victim while he was stopped at a light in the 5600 block of E. Sprague. The victim said the man put the gun in his pocket and was last seen walking east on foot, pushing a shopping cart.
A deputy who arrived on scene saw Kester sitting on a short brick wall in front of a bank. When the deputy got out of his patrol car, he saw a large object in his right front pocket. Officials said, at gunpoint, the deputy gave commands for Kester to show his hands, to not reach for anything and to get on the ground. Kester refused to comply and started yelling, “Just ******* kill me! Shoot me right in the head!” The deputy told Kester he knew he had a gun and to not reach for it. Kester replied, “**** you! I am not giving you my gun, you’ll have to *******kill me!”
The deputy then told dispatch and responding deputies that Kester was uncooperative. Once back up arrived, Kester remained defiant, would not follow commands and continued to yell. Two deputies eventually approached Kester and took ahold of his arms. He then resisted and broke free from their grasp. Then he started to reach for his pocket. Then, all three deputies worked to gain control of Kester. Officials said deputies used force to take him to the ground as they worked to keep Kester’s hands away from his pockets. They eventually gained control of Kester and placed him in handcuffs. Authorities said they located a Ruger LCP .380 in his pants pocket. They said it had not been reported stolen.
Spokane Valley Fire and AMR responded to the scene to provide medical attention for Kester who continued to yell obscenities and thrash around while saying he wanted to be shot. He was taken to the hospital and the Spokane County Jail by AMR with a deputy inside the ambulance because of his aggressive and violent behavior.
Deputies later contacted the victim who told them he heard Kester yelling as he stopped at the red light. When he looked over at him, he noticed Kester was pointing the gun at him while he was trying to remove it from a holster. The victim said he started honking his horn hoping the driver ahead of him would move so he would not be shot but he said the driver was on the phone and was oblivious to what was happening. The man said he thought he was going to get shot and feared for his life.
