The Victim, Citizens, Deputies, and Officers Work Together to Locate Stolen Vehicle Suspect after Attempt to Flee
Spokane Valley Deputies responded to the report of a stolen vehicle the victim may have located. The victim explained he was tracking his black Ford F250, which he reported as stolen earlier in the day. Deputies eventually located the truck and attempted to conduct a traffic stop, but the male suspect fled. Due to the suspect’s reckless driving behavior and for the public’s safety, a pursuit was not authorized. Deputies found the truck abandoned, but with the assistance of citizens, they and Spokane Police Department (SPD) Officers located the suspect and took him into custody.
On September 7, 2024, at approximately 12:10 pm, Spokane Valley Deputies responded to E. Sprague Avenue and N. Pines Road to assist the victim of a stolen vehicle who was tracking it.
The victim said his black F250 was stolen overnight after he dropped it off for service. He reported the theft to SPD and that he had left a large amount of cash inside the truck.
The Deputy continued communicating with the victim and eventually located the stolen F250 near Bernard and Riverside. He followed the truck as the driver, later identified as 34-year-old Jamze K. West, turned north on Division.
With another Deputy behind him to assist, the initial Deputy activated his emergency lights and siren to conduct a traffic stop. West pulled over to the shoulder, stopped momentarily, and looked back at the Deputy before driving away.
West accelerated to approximately 50-60 mph in a posted 35 mph zone, but with the heavy traffic, the pursuit was terminated for the public’s safety. Deputies observed the truck turn east on Sinto Avenue as it drove through the red light at the intersection, almost crashing into another vehicle. West appeared to swerve to avoid the collision and drove toward some trees. Afterward, Deputies observed a large amount of dust coming from that area.
The Deputies approached the area and observed a lot of fluids on the roadway. They began following the trail, believing they might find the Ford disabled.
Deputies located the Ford in the 800 block of E. Boone, and witnesses advised the driver (West) ran south through the parking area. Deputies and SPD Officers continued checking the area, eventually locating West near Hamilton Street on the Centennial Trail, and he was taken into custody without further incident.
West, who has a lengthy criminal history of contacts/arrests in Spokane County, was identified as the person Deputies observed driving the truck and the person Officers observed on video security footage stealing the vehicle.
SPD Officers transported and booked West into the Spokane County Jail for Theft of a Motor Vehicle, Theft 2nd Degree, and Attempting to Elude a Law Enforcement Vehicle.
Officers also recovered over $1,200 in cash that the victim left inside the truck prior to it being stolen.
This Spokane County Sheriff Office news article "The Victim, Citizens, Deputies, and Officers Work Together to Locate Stolen Vehicle Suspect" was originally found on https://www.spokanecounty.org/CivicAlerts.aspx?CID=7