Suspect Displays Realistic-Looking BB Gun During Argument

Spokane Valley Deputies, responding to a person with a weapon call, determined the weapon used was a realistic-looking BB gun, and the suspect was arrested for unlawful display of a weapon appearing capable of causing bodily harm.  

On November 11, 2024, at approximately 7:45 am, Spokane Valley Deputies responded to a person with a weapon call at the Pope Francis Haven Apartment, 16412 E. Sprague Avenue.   

The caller/victim said an unknown male approached him in the parking lot near the dumpster and told him to leave.  The victim tried to explain that he was allowed to be there to remove some items, but the suspect went to a vehicle and retrieved a gun.  Deputies were advised the suspect was believed to be leaving the area in a gray Nissan Murano.  

Responding Deputies observed the reported suspect vehicle near Sprague and Sulivan and conducted a traffic stop.  Believing the driver was possibly armed, he was detained for additional investigation.   Deputies quickly learned the driver witnessed the incident and was not the suspect.  He stated he heard a person (victim) banging on a washing machine in the complex dumpster area.  He observed a male, later identified as 28-year-old Alexander J. Hartnett, approach the victim, telling him to leave.  Hartnett turned and went to a white vehicle, grabbed a gun, and went back to the victim.   He did not see Hartnett threaten or point the firearm at the victim, but he did see Hartnett carrying it in his hand, close to his side, as he reapproached the victim.  Deputies took his witness statement, and he was released without charges.

Additional Deputies arrived at the apartment complex and contacted the victim.  He stated he had permission from an employee of the complex to take some parts from a washing machine in the garbage area.  When Hartnett first approached him, he was using a crowbar to remove the washer drum.  Harnett told him to leave, and the victim said no, that he lived there.  Hartnett stated something along the lines of, “You will be getting the (expletive) out of here.”  The victim heard a car door close, the sound of a gun being cocked, and he noticed Hartnett walking toward him with a pistol in his right hand.  Hartnett walked within six feet of him but never pointed it at him and then walked away.  The victim said he was holding the crowbar, but it was at his side, slightly behind his back, and he never threatened the suspect in any way.  He was not sure if Hartnett planned to shoot him or not, but he was fearful of the gun and for his safety and wanted to pursue charges.           

Deputies located Hartnett, detained him, and advised him of his rights.  Hartnett initially denied having a gun but said he approached the victim holding a knife.  He said the knife was for self-defense and that the victim approached him holding a crowbar.  Hartnett later admitted to having a BB gun and not a real firearm.    He told Deputies the BB gun was in a nearby apartment.      

Deputies observed a knife and sheath on the front seat of Hartnett’s vehicle.  They went to the apartment where Hartnett said he left the BB gun and seized it as evidence.       

Harnett was advised he was under arrest for unlawful display of a weapon apparently capable of causing bodily harm, a misdemeanor, and booked into the Spokane County Jail.  However, per an agreement approved by the Municipal/District Court, this charge qualified for him to be released on his own recognizance due to the jail’s Critical Status (overcrowding/population), and he was released minutes later.  

This Spokane County Sheriff Office news article "Suspect Displays Realistic-Looking BB Gun During Argument" was originally found on https://www.spokanecounty.org/CivicAlerts.aspx?CID=7