Police Department

Driver on a traffic stop flees from the scene injuring police officer.

Officer John O'Brien

Wednesday, September 27, 2017 at 5:40 p.m.

Driver on a traffic stop flees from the scene injuring a Spokane Police Officer. The driver of a Cadillac that had been stopped drove away from the scene and in doing so struck the SPD Officer. The officer’s arm was injured by being caught inside the open window.

On September 27th just after 1:30 PM, a Spokane Police officer stopped a vehicle driven by Zachary W. Woods (18) near Lacey Avenue and Hoffman Street after seeing Woods drive poorly through a school zone. Woods initially stopped but while being contacted by SPD he drove away from the scene. The vehicle driven by Woods struck the officer and the officer’s arm was caught inside the open driver’s window. The officer was able to run alongside the vehicle about a third of a block which prevented him from being drug and possibly receiving substantial bodily harm.

The officer exercised significant restraint with his use of force options because of his concerns for the passengers in the vehicle.

Other officers located Woods fleeing the scene but Woods refused to stop for police vehicles using their emergency lights and sirens. Woods drove down an alley without regard for anyone’s safety and struck a citizen’s vehicle that was north bound on Nevada Street between Joseph Avenue and Columbia Avenue.

Woods continued in the vehicle north until he crashed into a yard at Central Avenue. Woods fled on foot but was caught within moments by SPD officers.

The officer, the citizen driver and Woods all received non-life threatening injuries. They were transported and treated at a local hospital.

A traffic investigator from the Major Crimes Unit responded to investigate the collision.

Woods was booked into the Spokane County Jail for Assault 1st degree, Felony Hit and Run and Attempting to Elude a Police Officer.

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