Police Department

Two SWAT Standoffs in Less Than 24 Hours

Cpl. Nick Briggs, PIO

Tuesday, November 2, 2021 at 8:46 a.m.

On 10-31-21 around 4:30PM, SPD learned 47-year-old Todd L. Johnson was located at a residence in the 1900 block of W Sharp Ave. Officers had established probable cause to arrest Johnson for assault 2^nd degree (DV) stemming from an October 19th incident where he struck a victim and held a knife to her neck.

Johnson was uncooperative with officers and refused to surrender, instead barricading himself inside the home. During the incident, Johnson made repeated threatening statements towards officers including that he would fight law enforcement, and that law enforcement would have to kill him in order to affect an arrest. Johnson also made statements indicating he had a firearm.

Due to the severity of the criminal offense Johnson was wanted for (assault 2^nd domestic violence), his erratic and violent demeanor, and his deliberate intent to evade arrest, specialty team assets were utilized. Members of SPD SWAT, and Hostage Negotiation Team responded and attempts at negotiating with Johnson continued.

Officers negotiated with Johnson for more than four hours attempting to bring the incident to a peaceful resolution. Negotiations and other attempts at defusing the situation failed as Johnson continued to express his desire for a violent encounter with law enforcement.

SPD SWAT officers introduced a chemical agent into the residence. Shortly thereafter Johnson was taken into custody without further incident. No injuries were sustained by anyone involved.

Johnson has four felony convictions, including for assault 3^rd degree. At the writing of this release he remains in Spokane County Jail for the assault 2^nd (DV) charge.

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On 11-1-21 - around 11:30AM, SPD was able to track a wanted subject to a residence in the 4700 block of N Stone St. 41-year-old Jason Tittman was sought for a felony assault warrant, as well as a US Marshal’s probation violation warrant stemming from a weapons offense.

Officers arrived at the residence and were able to verify Tittman was inside and armed with a firearm. Tittman refused to surrender and made statements indicating he would not cooperate.

Due to the serious nature of the criminal charges and Tittman reportedly being armed, resources from SPD SWAT as well as Hostage Negotiation Team were utilized.

After about an hour and a half, SPD officers were able to convince Tittman to surrender and he was taken into custody without incident. There were no injuries to the suspect or officers. A search warrant of the residence was executed and at least one firearm recovered.

Tittman is a 14-time convicted felon with priors that include riot with a deadly weapon, assault, and robbery. Tittman is not legally permitted to possess a firearm due to his criminal history. The US Marshals Violent Offender Task Force assisted with locating and apprehending Tittman.

Specialty team resources are utilized to maximize the chance a dangerous situation is resolved peacefully. These types of situations are dynamic, and specialty teams not only address a situation as it currently presents itself, but also protect everyone involved by being prepared for a variety of contingencies in the event the situation changes.

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